A man has been given an 18-month prison sentence for punching a Picasso painting valued at £20 million ($26.25m) and ripping it off the wall at the Tate Modern art gallery in London.

The BBC reports that Shakeel Massey, aged 20, admitted to the crime, telling police at the time of his arrest that his actions had been "a performance" designed to to attract public attention.

Experts have stated that repairs to the 1944 painting will take around 18 months to complete and will cost up to £350,000 ($460,000).