Damage limitation: how sculptor Ali Cherri is reworking vandalised art

Ali Cherri’s The Toilet of Venus (‘The Rokeby Venus’), after Velázquez, 2022. Photograph: The National Gallery, London

On 14 November 1940, the city of Coventry endured a night of relentless bombing – lives were lost, homes were destroyed and the city’s cathedral was left in ruins. In response, provost RT Howard called, from the ruins of his cathedral, for forgiveness. It was a message that would resonate through the generations.

“Coventry is now known as a city of peace and reconciliation,” explains Martin Roberts, curatorial manager at Herbert Art Gallery and Museum. “That has become a strong part of the Herbert’s work, to tell those stories of peace and reconciliation.”