BK Woman Sent To Prison For Defacing Degas Sculpture Exhibit: Feds

BROOKLYN, NY — A 54-year-old Brooklyn woman will spend 60 days in prison for defacing an exhibit that displayed a wax sculpture at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. back in 2023, authorities announced.

Joanna Smith, of Brooklyn, was sentenced after pleading guilty to one count of causing injury to a National Gallery of Art exhibit, prosecutors said.

On April 27, 2023, Smith, along with another individual, smeared red and black paint on the case and base surrounding the wax sculpture, “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen”, created by Edgar Degas, according to prosecutors.

Smith and the other individual had passed through security undetected with paint secreted inside water bottles. Smith also delivered statements explaining her actions to onlookers, prosecutors said.

The National Gallery, had to remove the sculpture from public display for 10 days while it assessed the sculpture for damage and made repairs to the case. Gallery officials said it cost over $4,000 to repair the damage.

Judge Berman Jackson has ordered Smith to serve 24 months of supervised release, serve 150 hours of community service, of which 10 hours must involve cleaning graffiti, and pay restitution for the damage to the Degas exhibit, prosecutors said.

Smith is also barred from entering the District of Columbia and all museums and monuments for two years.