Boy, 12, trips and puts hole in $1.5 million painting

TAIPEI, Taiwan, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Security cameras at a Taiwan art exhibition captured the moment a 12-year-old tripped and punched a hole in a $1.5 million Paolo Porpora oil painting.

Organizers of the "Face of Leonardo: Images of a Genius" exhibition at Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei released footage of the beverage-holding boy tripping next to the still life and putting his fist through the bottom of the canvas before freezing in apparent horror at his mistake.

Sun Chi-hsuan, the exhibit's organizer, said the boy's family will not be charged for restoration costs and the $1.5 million painting, titled "Flowers," was insured.

"The painting's bottom right is damaged," Sun told reporters. "The boy's hand made contact with the artwork and left a hole the size of a fist."

A post on the exhibition's Facebook page thanked restoration specialist Tsai Shun-jen for helping to quickly restore the 350-year-old painting. The post included photos of the experts working to repair the canvas.