Rotterdam (Netherlands) - It was a careless moment when neither the parents nor the security staff had their eyes on the small child, and it was already too late. Now the 50-million-euro painting has deep scratches!

According to a report in the Dutch newspaper"Algemeen Dagblad (AD)", the incident occurred in the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, the largest art museum in the Dutch metropolis of Rotterdam.

According to a museum spokesperson, a child touched the underside of the painting during an art exhibition, resulting in visible scratches in the unvarnished paint layer.

The work entitled "Gray, Orange on Maroon, No. 8" by US artist Mark Rothko (†66) was part of a temporary exhibition in the museum's depot. In addition to paintings by Rothko, visitors can also admire works by Pieter Bruegel and Salvador Dalí (†84). The main building will be renovated until 2030.

Despite the damage caused, the museum is confident that the painting will soon find its way back into the gallery.

Normally, if one of the exhibits is damaged, the museum asks the person responsible - i.e. the visitor - to pay. In this case, however, the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen did not wish to comment. The identity of the parents and the child are known.

The Rothko painting is one of the most expensive in the exhibition. It is estimated to have a retail value of between 40 and 50 million euros.