5 Vandalism
There are a wide variety of motives and reasons why a person might deliberately damage or destroy cultural property. These include blind destructive rage, clinical personality disorders, and political or religious motives.
Suitable defenses and measures to counter vandalism must be put in place to minimize the risks to cultural assets as far as possible. Although complete protection is impossible, a wide variety of different individual measures can make an effective contribution to preventing and defending against acts of vandalism.
The term “vandalism” is derived from the “Vandals”, a warring Germanic tribe who are said to have committed acts of plunder and destruction – especially of artworks – during the 5th century. While the term came to be associated with the damage or destruction of cultural artifacts in the 19th century, today it refers to the act of anonymously damaging objects which are generally in the public domain.
Why do people destroy or damage cultural property?
Some common motives, causes and reasons are outlined below:
1. Blind destructive rage
The main trigger for vandalism is the desire for pure destruction stemming from the arousal of aggressive feelings, the desire to impress one’s peer group or perform a dare, out of a false sense of “self-affirmation” or a misplaced concept of “the enemy”. This phenomenon also extends to artworks and cultural property, with sculptures or art installations in public places, historic buildings and monuments being particularly at risk. Contemporary artworks are often targeted here from a stance of rejection or due to a lack of understanding, on the supposedly justifiable grounds that such artworks are ugly, provocative or meaningless.
Inside museums and exhibitions, damage can be deliberately inflicted in particular by malcontented children and adolescents who are thoughtless and disinterested or under the influence of alcohol.
Exhibits can also be damaged or destroyed due to sculptures being knocked over because of inattention or unruly behavior among adolescents. However, touching objects where this is not permitted or sitting on tables and chairs are not considered acts of vandalism, as there is usually no deliberate intent involved (see Deterioration section). There is a very fine line between that and incidents where – for a dare, for fun, or as a result of showing off – exhibits end up being damaged or destroyed, for example by the misuse of fire extinguishers, deliberate pushing of other persons or similar activities.
It is especially difficult to protect books and archive materials from damage and destruction if they are not replaced by (electronic) copies for consultation purposes. As a rule, it is expected that books, engravings, prints etc. will be available for visitors to examine more closely in reading rooms. In archives and libraries, the presence of an attendant and/or video surveillance in a reading room not only acts as a deterrent to theft, it also protects against vandalism in the form of pages being torn out of books, defaced or scribbled on.
Objects can also be damaged or destroyed as a result of riots and rowdy behavior in the wake of political demonstrations, music or sporting events. If the original reason for a demonstration or event is forgotten and radicalized protesters start attacking objects and institutions indiscriminately, artworks or protected buildings could be directly or indirectly affected without necessarily any deliberate intent (cf. Violence section). At that moment, protesters are motivated simply by destruction for the sake of destruction, which brings us back full circle to the concept of “vandalism”: destructive rage can also be directed against art.
2. Factors affecting mental state
Neuroses and depression, drugs and delusions can cause people to commit senseless acts of destruction on artworks and cultural property for no apparent reason. Even if it seems that perpetrators are fully aware of what they are doing, their actions are expressions of pathological phenomena, possibly triggered or heightened by drug-taking. Prime examples of this are, for instance, the attacks on Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” in 1956 (acid attack, rock throwing) or the repeated enormous damage caused to over 50 artworks in the 1970s and 1980s by a mentally disturbed man from Hamburg (works by Paul Klee, Rembrandt and Albrecht Dürer among others, www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-13529533.html).
Although acts of vandalism are often committed under the influence of alcohol, with an effect similar to that of psychoactive drugs, alcohol itself is not a motivating force here. As an intoxicant, alcohol can reinforce certain neurological disorders. However, its effect can primarily be seen in the myriad ways in which it acts as a triggering factor – particularly in the case of behaviors motivated by blind rage.
3. Political and religious motives
Ever since ancient times, politics and religion have been major motivating forces for the deliberate and targeted damage and destruction of art. In every war – whether its origins lie in politics or religion – holy relics, icons and symbols of the culture of the conquered people have been looted, damaged or destroyed. Recent examples are the dynamiting of the Buddhas of Bamiyan by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001 or the wholesale destruction of the cultural heritage of ethnic minorities during the conflicts in the Balkans in the 1990s.
In Germany, certain objects can provoke politically or religiously motivated actions. For instance, in 2008 a visitor attending the opening of the Berlin branch of Madame Tussauds tore the head off the waxwork of Hitler. Different moral viewpoints can also engender vandalism, for instance in protest at the depiction of a naked woman.
4. Concealing criminal acts
Where burglary and theft have been committed, it is not unusual for perpetrators to deliberately destroy the crime scene, even to the extent of deliberately setting fire to it, either to conceal the original crime or destroy evidence.
The extent of damage caused as a result of such secondary vandalism is often much greater than that caused by the theft itself. No thought is given to the deliberate destruction of artistic and historic assets. In this case vandalism is committed as a consequence of another criminal act and is inherently linked to it. Taking suitable protective measures against the actual criminal act also prevents the consequent actions, or at least minimizes the potential damage caused.
5. Economic motives
One special form of vandalism are thefts committed with the express purpose of destroying a cultural object for material gain. Artworks and monuments made of non-ferrous metals are particularly vulnerable to this type of vandalism. Some examples are the theft of grave markers and candlesticks from the Soviet War Memorial in Berlin-Schönholz between 2008 and 2009 or the bust of Alfred Döblin in central Berlin in 2010. It must be assumed that these objects were melted down.
Commercial interests also lie at the heart of art thefts where canvasses are cut out of their frames, and carvings, sculptures and altar panels etc. are broken off, or other forms of brutal and destructive acts are committed. Even though the artwork may not be completely destroyed, as is the case when it is melted down, the extensive damage caused usually makes it irreparable, so this can also be considered an act of vandalism. There is a fluid and close correlation with the act of theft/burglary here (see Theft section).
Preventive measures
Incidents of vandalism outdoors are primarily associated with rowdiness. Owing to the frequently complex and limited options for surveillance and preventive measures, these are extremely difficult to prevent, especially given the speed at which perpetrators can make their escape. The interior of a building, on the other hand, affords more favorable conditions for putting some protections in place.
Technical anti-vandalism measures are frequently identical to or are incorporated in preventive measures against intrusion, theft or fire. Specific anti-vandalism measures therefore tend to be the exception. For instance, in addition to protection against intruders, the use of burglar-proof windows and doors, attack-resistant glazing or adequate lighting also serve to deter vandalism attacks. As well as the deterrent effect, a reliable intruder alarm system also serves to trigger a prompt response from the police or other service provider so such consequential acts of vandalism are forestalled.
In conjunction with visual or audible alarms, barriers within exhibition galleries help to protect against damage or removal, and the deployment of attendants can also act as a deterrent to both potential thieves and vandals. In the event of deliberate arson in connection with vandalism, an automatic fire alarm system will signal an alarm quickly and call out the fire service.
Another important preventive measure is to assess the respective exhibition to determine whether its overall content, individual themes or specific exhibits might give rise to a motive for vandalism. Consider whether the exhibition or the institution in general could trigger political, religious, sexual or personal motives such as hate, glorification, fetishism etc. which in some circumstances could provoke vandalism. If this cannot be ruled out, decide whether additional security measures should be taken, or whether it might be expedient to exclude certain exhibits.
Organizational measures form the third pillar of a prevention concept. In particular these include training and motivating staff to spot the signs of potential acts of vandalism, responding correctly and proportionately to visitors and perpetrators, and securing and documenting a damaged object. Another important element for prevention is collaboration and cooperation with the police and/or private security firms or consultants, as technical and organizational solutions alone are difficult to identify and implement.
As with other threats, there can be no cast-iron protection from vandalism. The unpredictability of acts of vandalism is simply too great. It is therefore always advisable to individually assess the nature of any threats and what preventive measures could be usefully implemented.
Checklist (preventive measures)
- Be aware of which objects might provoke an act of vandalism.
- Be alert to religious and political issues.
- When they buy a ticket, visitors agree to the museum’s conditions; make your conditions clear and display them prominently.
- Observe the behavior of individual visitors and groups.
- Educate your visitors: explain why they should not touch objects.
- Instruct teachers and also make teachers co-responsible.
- Where necessary, accompany groups with two people, with one always remaining at the rear.
- Bags should be left in the cloakroom.
- Create a physical or visual distance or barrier between objects and the public (rope, glass, etc.).
- Secure small objects.
- Put fragile, rare and small objects in a display case, behind safety glass if necessary.
- Check the condition of objects daily.
- To avoid graffiti, keep the area around the building and the objects clean.
- To avoid arson, keep the surroundings of the building clear.
- Illuminate the area at night.
- Train your security staff to recognize suspicious behavior.
- Train your security staff to respond appropriately to an act of vandalism (both with respect to the perpetrator and actions to save the object).
- If possible, install a video surveillance system and put the relevant procedures in place.
- If possible, install an alarm system on objects or display cases and put the relevant procedures in place.
- Draw up a list of the telephone numbers of external conservators and keep it to hand.
- Keep an incident log and analyze the incidents.
Action to take (during an incident)
- Notify the head of security in accordance with procedures.
- Notify the head of collections or the conservator authorized to decide what to do with the object.
- If a substance is sprayed on the object, keep the container if possible so the substance can be identified.
- Keep visitors away from the object.
- If possible, clear the room.
- Remain with the damaged object.
- If a chemical substance is used, take precautions for your own safety.
- Do not touch the object if that might cause further damage.
- Do not remove any traces that may be of use to the police.
- If the perpetrator is still in the museum, avoid escalation and stay calm.
- Do not take any risks – people and the objects are more important than arresting the perpetrator.
- If you can arrest the perpetrator, have two people stay with him or her.
- Call the police.
- Report the attack.
- Photograph the damaged object and the area around it.
- Write a detailed description of the incident for your files and use it for the next risk assessment.
- If the press is involved, only the director or the head of communications should act as spokesperson, in accordance with procedures.
Lists based on those of Hanna Pennock in: KNK (Ed.): Sicherheit und Katastrophenschutz für Museen, Archive und Bibliotheken, Tagungsband, Dresden 2007, p. 83.