On January 27, Arkhip Kuindzhi’s exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery—a retrospective in honor of the artist’s 175th birthday—became a news sensation after a 31-year-old man stole the painting “Ai-Petri. Crimea” during the museum’s working hours. The heist, which made worldwide headlines, also sparked a flood of posts and memes on Russian social media, from lighthearted tweets such as, “Anybody happen to be selling a Kuinzdhi?” to others comparing the event to the annexation of Crimeа, with one twitter user remarking, “People are only outraged about the theft because the Tretyakov failed to hold a referendum on changing the painting’s owner among its staff members…”
To read more visit The Moscow Times.
