Claude Monet “Argenteuil Basin with a Single Sailboat” (1874) / fist

Just before 11am on June 29, 2012, 49-year-old Andrew Shannon punched a hole through this work while it was on view at Ireland’s National Gallery. Security footage of the incident shows Shannon standing in front of the painting for a moment before suddenly lunging into it fist-first. While Shannon would later claim that he had fell ill and lost his balance, Irish police claimed his act was in fact “a bid to get back at the State.” (Upon his arrest, police also found a can of paint stripper concealed on his person.) Shannon was eventually convicted and sentenced to six years in prison, the final 15 months suspended on strict conditions which ban him from entering any public spaces that hold or display painted artworks. 18 months after the original incident, the Monet was able to be restored and put back on display.