Expert witness says Russia's ‘actionist’ artist didn't burn anything of historical value, in FSB blaze

The door to the headquarters of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), situated in the vicinity of the Lubyanka metro station in Moscow—which was set on fire by the artist and activist Petr Pavlensky—was not a historically valuable artifact, according to Aleksandr Popov, the head of art restoration service RTS APO, while speaking at a hearing at Moscow’s Meshchanskiy Court.

“In 2008, the door to the building was replaced and restored. Yes, it is similar to the original door, but there's no historical value, nor is the door subject to protection. The September 7, 2015, ruling of Moscow’s municipal government on September 7, 2015, mentioned on that the building’s facade was insured and did not mention the door. This means that the door has no historical value,” said that expert, who has over 40 years of experience in the field.

Expert testimony has also established that the new door was made using modern techniques and materials that were significantly different from those used to manufacture the original door.

On Friday, the Meshchansky Court put forth a proposal to continue hearings against Pavlensky, who has been accused of “damaging a recognized object of cultural heritage—the door of the building of the NKVD-KGB-FSB (built between 1940-1947).”

Pavlensky was arrested in November 2015 in downtown Moscow after he demonstratively set fire to the door of the FSB building in the presence of journalists. The artist is known for a series of scandalous displays of art, which, according to him, are of a political nature.