Unidentified painting / blue marker

In April 2017, a man used a blue graffiti pen to scrawl epithets on a student’s painting (the work’s title, author and content haven’t yet been released), then on view at the Metropolitan Museum’s education center.

Ryan Watson, 33, allegedly used a blue pen to scrawl the phrases “Nazi artwork” and “Not slaves” on a student art piece. When a guard intervened to stop him, he allegedly yelled “go back to your country.” The artwork was created by a New York City teenager, and is one of 600 works currently included in the “Scholastic Art & Writing Awards: New York City Regional Exhibition,” on view March 24–May 29, 2017. 

Watson was arrested on charges of criminal mischief and possession of a graffiti instrument. Met officials said they’d be reaching out to the student and would “make every effort to restore the work of art.”