by jexone

Police in Houston are searching for a vandal who spray-painted a Picasso painting. The man was captured on camera using a stencil to paint an image of a bull and the word "Conquista" on the Spanish master's 1929 'Woman in a Red Armchair." A bystander who videoed the man in action says the vandal identified himself as an up-and-coming Mexican-American artist who wanted to "honor" Picasso's work.

The painting, one of nine Picassos in Houston's Menil collection, was rushed to the museum's on-site conservation lab and experts say the prognosis is good. "The most important thing is to get the painting to full health, which is happening," said a museum spokesman. "All the spray paint has been removed. It is in the right hospital. The painting now needs to rest." If the vandal is caught, he will face a charge of criminal mischief with a maximum penalty of two years in prison.