The painting was severely damaged (Picture: SWNS)

A man who punched a hole through a painting worth nearly £8 million has been jailed.

Andrew Shannon, 49, ruined the Claude Monet masterpiece hanging in the National Gallery Ireland in 2012 by attacking it in front of stunned art lovers.

On Thursday a court finally brought him to justice for his crime.

The famous painting, titled Argenteuil Basin with a Single Sailboat, was left with a large hole through the middle of it.


It is valued at $10 million (£7.8 million).

Mr Shannon told the police after his arrest he committed the thoughtless act of vandalism in an attempt to ‘get back at the state’ however while in court he tried to play it off as an accident by reportedly claiming he ‘felt faint’ and fell into the painting.

Mr Shannon was caught on CCTV making a fist before slamming it into the painting (Picture: National Gallery)



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Andrew Shannon was sentenced to five years in prison (Picture: SWNS)

After wrecking the painting he allegedly shouted at some tourists also visiting the gallery, before being restrained by a security guard, who later found a can of paint stripper on Mr Shannon.

However the after viewing CCTV footage of the incident the jury decided his actions were intentional and found him guilty after just 90 minutes of deliberation.

He was sentenced to five years in prison, and will not be allowed in any gallery for 15 months after his release.

Upon raiding Mr Shannon’s Dublin home after his arrest, police found nearly 50 stolen items, including valuable artworks, books and antiques.

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