A $26 million Pablo Picasso painting was damaged in a London gallery.

On December 28, a visitor to the Tate Gallery in London damaged Pablo Picasso's Bust of a Woman. This writes BBC News with reference to representatives of the gallery and the police.

It is not known how much damage the painting received. Gallery staff removed the painting from the exhibition to assess the damage.

Shaquille Messi, a 20-year-old resident of London, was arrested on charges of damaging the painting. He denied guilt. He was kept in custody pending a preliminary hearing in his case, which will take place on 30 January.

• The painting "Bust of a Woman" was painted in 1944 in Paris. It depicts Pablo Picasso's muse, artist and photographer Dora Maar. According to the BBC, the cost of the canvas is estimated at 20 million pounds (about 26 million dollars).