Israel Museum (Jerusalem), a child punctures a 1959 Magritte with a pine cone.

A painting by René Magritte kept at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem was damaged by an incident that occurred a few weeks ago during a public visit. As reported by The Times of Israel, the work,The Castle of the Pyrenees (The Castle of the Pyrenees), was punctured by a child who, together with his family, was inside the museum and used a pine cone collected in the sculpture garden to hit the canvas, causing it to be punctured within moments. The intervention of security personnel was not enough to prevent the damage.

The painting, an oil on canvas from 1959 and large in size (200 x 145 cm), is part of the museum’s permanent collection and has been on permanent display since 1985, when it was donated by Harry Torczyner, a lawyer and art collector of Belgian and Jewish origin. The work was originally commissioned by Torczyner himself, a friend and supporter of the artist, to cover the view from a window in his New York office that was deemed unattractive. The subject depicts a large rock suspended in the sky, topped by a castle, above a rough sea.

The story of the painting is also linked to the personal story of the commissioner, who after fleeing Belgium due to Nazi persecution had settled in New York with his wife Marcelle Siva Torczyner. Torczyner’s contact with Magritte dates back to 1957 and led to the creation of the work, which remained in the collector’s studio for nearly two decades, with sporadic public exhibitions before it was donated to the Israeli museum on the 20th anniversary of its founding.

According to Sharon Tager, head of the Israel Museum’s conservation department, the painting is currently undergoing restoration within the facility’s specialized laboratories. The process involves repairing the canvas and carefully treating the oil paint layers, with the aim of minimizing the visibility of the damage. As the masthead further reports, the operations will require several weeks of work. The museum clarified that the work was not protected by glass or alarm systems, in line with an exhibition policy that favors direct enjoyment of the works and the possibility for the public to approach without physical barriers. In this case, this choice made possible close contact that resulted in damage to the painting.

Israel Museum (Jerusalem), a child punctures a 1959 Magritte with a pine cone.

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