Iconic, $56 Million Abstract Painting Damaged by Child

Think twice about taking children to a museum housing expensive art. Scratch that, maybe just leave them at home.

That's arguably the moral of the story after a child reportedly damaged a Mark Rothko painting worth a whopping $56 million. The damage happened at the famed Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam, Netherlands. 

According to the BBC, a museum spokesperson said it's considering the "next steps" to repair the American painter's 1960 abstract Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8 painting. Those "next steps" includes searching for a conservation expert in the country and abroad. A Dutch outlet reported that the damage occurred during an "unguarded moment."

As far as the painting's damage, a spokesperson told the BBC that the damage is "superficial," and that "small scratches are visible in the unvarnished paint layer in the lower part of the painting."

Related: Museum Had Surprising Response After Toddler Smashed 3,500-Year-Old Artifact

It's worth noting that a conservationist reportedly said that the painting in question is "particularly susceptible to damage." The painting had been hanging in the museum's Depot, which is a publicly accessible storage facility next to the main museum, as part of an exhibition displaying the gallery's favorite collection.

The museum is optimistic that the painting will be on display again, but fixing the damage will be difficult because "Rothko's mixture of pigments and resins and glues were quite complex."

This incident is eerily reminiscent to another Rothko painting that was intentionally damaged in 2012, when a man defaced a 1958 painting with graffiti.

The man apologized for his action, but he was ultimately sentenced to two years in prison. During the trial, prosecutors said it would cost more than $266,000 to repair the damage, and it took conservators 18 months to repair the damage.