A Brooklyn woman has been handed a 60-day jail sentence for vandalizing an Edgar Degas sculpture at Washington D.C.'s esteemed National Gallery of Art. Joanna Smith, 54, faced the music on charges of causing injury to the gallery's treasured Little Dancer Aged Fourteen piece, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

In a turn-up for the books, Smith is also looking at 24 months of supervised release and 150 hours of community service, the judge has made sure to specifically to include cleaning off graffiti in her penance. There’s also a restitution payment for the artistic damage she caused, not to mention a two-year ban from all D.C. museums and national monuments hanging over her head.

On April 27, 2023, Smith and accomplices descended upon the capital with a calculated plan to desecrate the gallery exhibit showcasing Degas' iconic wax sculpture, made from 1878 to 1881. The plot, premeditated and driven by a yet unexplained motive, led to Smith and her cohort successfully slipping red and black paint through security in water bottles. A statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office revealed that they had conducted research on the piece beforehand and specifically targeted it for their demonstration.

The artistic assault didn’t go unnoticed as Smith took her chance to explain to onlookers the justifications for her actions while the paint began to mar the exhibit's protective casing. The aftermath included a more than $4,000 cleanup bill and a 10-day public hiatus for the sculpture, as per National Gallery officials.

The FBI's Washington Field Office and Art Crime Team spearheaded the investigation with support from the National Gallery of Art Police and the U.S. Park Police, leading to Smith's subsequent plea and conviction. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron A. Tepfer laid down the law in prosecuting the case, tasked with reconciling the sacrilege against art and public property.