The painting "The disturbing duckling" from 1959, was vandalized on Friday with glue and alcohol by the Danish artist and provocateur Ibi-Pipp Orup Hedegaard.
The painting, which depicts an abstract duck painted on a naturalistic landscape, is considered one of Asger Jorn's most important works and it is currently unclear whether the painting can be restored.
Jorn was known for his overpaintings, where he bought art at flea markets and used the existing painting as a basis for his own work.
- It is one of the most famous Jorn overpaintings.
It belongs to one of his five most important works and is internationally known.
A national treasure, said Jacob Thage, museum director at Museum Jorn to DR.
Raise questions about authenticity
The vandalism that took place on Friday was filmed and posted on social media.
The painting is also signed by Ibi-Pippi Orup Hedegaard, who also admitted to being behind the overpainting.
- I have mounted a picture of myself on top of the famous duckling.
In addition, I have signed the work, so now it is an Ibi-Pippi work - and not an Asger Jorn, wrote Ibi-Pipp Orup Hedegaard, who was arrested by police shortly after the incident.
The event was broadcast live on the anti-Muslim Facebook group "Patriots go live", which also published interviews with the artist.
Pippi Orup Hedegaard made herself known in 2015 for having changed her gender legally and caused discomfort in public changing rooms.
According to the artist, the purpose of the overpainting was to create a discussion about authenticity, and that the increase is a continuation of Jorn's artistic spirit.
Asger Jorn was one of Denmark's most famous artists and one of the founders of the international art group Cobra, which consisted of artists from Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam.
The work "The disturbing duckling" comes from the period when Jorn bought art at a flea market and painted on the existing painting.