Kant monument splashed with pink paint in Kaliningrad | The Art Newspaper By using The Art Newspaper website you agree to our use of cookies as described in this Cookie Policy.Close notice ePaper Newsletter NewsCoronavirusBrexitArt marketMuseums & heritageBook ClubPodcastsDiaryVan Gogh blogThe Year Ahead 2021 NewsCoronavirusBrexitArt marketMuseums & heritageBook ClubPodcastsDiaryVan Gogh blogThe Year Ahead 2021 NewsCoronavirusBrexitArt marketMuseums & heritageBook ClubPodcastsDiaryVan Gogh blogThe Year Ahead 2021 NewsCoronavirusBrexitArt marketMuseums & heritageBook ClubPodcastsDiaryVan Gogh blogThe Year Ahead 2021 News Monuments Kant monument splashed with pink paint in Kaliningrad Defacement may be politically motivated as nationalists see the veneration of the German figure as unpatriotic Sophia Kishkovsky28th November 2018 10:28 GMT More Pinterest LinkedIn A monument to the philosopher Kant was defaced in Kaliningrad © Oksana Maitakova/Facebook An unknown assailant has splashed pink paint on a monument to Immanuel Kant and his tombstone in Kaliningrad, the former German city of Königsberg where the philosopher lived. On Tuesday morning, the editor of a local newspaper noticed on her way to work that the statue in front of Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University had been defaced and posted photos of the damage on her Facebook page. Soon after, the director of the city’s landmark cathedral, next to which Kant is buried, posted photos of a similar attack on his tomb. Although the assailant or assailants had not been apprehended as of Tuesday evening, there was a clue to the motive in leaflets scattered near the university monument that denounced Kant, who died in 1804, as a traitor. “Shame to traitors! Shame to Kant! Glory to Rus!” read the leaflets. The Red Army captured Königsberg, the capital of East Prussia, in 1945 from Nazi Germany and it became part of the Soviet Union as Kaliningrad after ethnic German residents fled or were expelled. The monument to Kant, designed by the German sculptor Christian Daniel Rauch, was originally erected in the 19th century, disappeared during the Second World War, and was recreated in 1992. Putin has praised Kant, who is a point of pride for many Russians in Kaliningrad. During a visit to the university in 2013 he said that “Kant can and should be a symbol not only of your university but to some extent a symbol of the entire region” and beyond. But nationalists have recently condemned veneration of the philosopher as unpatriotic after he took the lead in a vote to rename the city’s airport and he has since fallen to second place, behind the Russian Empress Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great. In Facebook posts on Tuesday, Russian liberals criticised the attack, but some contemporary artists treated it with humour as a possible act of performance art. Yesterday, the paint was cleaned off the monument and the tomb. More NewsTopicsRussia More Pinterest LinkedIn Subscribe to The Art Newspaper’s digital newsletter for your daily digest of essential news, views and analysis from the international art world delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up Find out how The Art Newspaper’s content platforms can help you reach an informed, influential body of collectors, cultural and creative professionals. For more information, contact info@theartnewspaper.com. Subscribe International network InformationAboutContactAdvertiseCookie PolicyTerms and ConditionsPrivacy PolicySponsorship Policy Follow us Facebook Twitter Instagram The Art Newspaper Created by wearegoat Newsletter signup Our daily newsletter contains a round-up of the stories published on our website, previews of exhibitions that are opening and more. On Fridays, we send our Editor’s picks of the top stories posted through the week. As a subscriber, you will also get live reports from leading art fairs and events, such as the Venice Biennale, plus special offers from The Art Newspaper. You may need to add the address newsletter@theartnewspaper.com to your safe list so it isn't automatically moved to your junk folder. You can remove yourself from the list at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe" link in the newsletter. CancelSubscribe to the list