Artist Marina Abramovic Attacked With Painting in Italy

Performance artist Marina Abramovic was hit over the head with a painting in a Florence museum on Sunday. Palazzo Strozzi director Arturo Galansino tweeted about the incident, saying Abramovic was uninjured after a man allegedly attacked her with a wood-framed painting he’d made of her. In comments to Italian media, Abramovic said the man “came up to me looking into my eyes and I smiled at him thinking he was giving me a gift.” “In a split second I saw his facial expression change and he became violent, coming toward me very quickly and with force. These dangers arrive quickly, just like death,” she said. Police are investigating the incident. It wasn't immediately clear if the alleged attacker had been arrested, but photos from the scene showed him pinned down on the ground by bystanders.