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On June 13, 2012 a vandal spray-painted a stencil of a bullfighter killing a bull and the word “conquista” (Spanish for conquer) on Pablo Picasso’s (1881-1973) Woman in a Red Armchair (1929). Officials named Houston-resident Uriel Landeros, 22, the assailant but were unable to locate him until he surrendered to authorities on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at the border of the United States and Mexico.

The vandalism incident took place at Houston’s Menil Collection and was caught on a cellphone video taken by a fellow museum patron. Landeros, an artist himself, claims that his act of defacement was meant to send a message promoting revolution and change. He was later charged with criminal mischief and felony graffiti, which prompted Landeros to flee the country. Officials believe he has been hiding out in Mexico since June.

Woman in a Red Armchair, which is valued at several million dollars, has since been restored.

Twelve years ago, Rene Magritte’s five-volume catalogue raisonné was published. Overseen by British critic, David Sylvester, the project prompted hundreds of individuals to submit what they claimed to be works by Magritte to the Magritte Foundation. Drowning in potential yet unconfirmed works, a committee formed to vet each of the newly surfaced works.

 As it turns out, many of the submissions proved to be authentic and they have been assembled in the book, René Magritte: Newly Discovered Works, Catalogue Raisonné VI. Published by the Menil Foundation, Mercatourfonds, and the Magritte Foundation, the book is being distributed by Yale University Press and features 130 of the finds including paintings as well as works on paper. Several of the pieces were known to exist but could never be located.

 A Belgian surrealist, Magritte became well known for his witty and thought-provoking images, many of which feature black bowler hats, apples, curvaceous pipes, and bright blue skies. Coincidentally, the Museum of Modern Art is organizing Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary 1926–1938, the first major show to explore the artist’s early Surrealist period. Curated by Anne Umland, the show will open at MoMA next September and will travel to the Menil in Houston and the Art Institute of Chicago.