PITTSBURGH — A former guard at the Carnegie Museum of Art has been charged with vandalizing a million-dollar painting he apparently didn't like, damaging it beyond repair.

The museum's surveillance camera caught the vandalism on May 16, police said Thursday.

Timur Serebrykov, 27, of Pittsburgh, is accused of defacing "Night Sky 12" by Latvian-born Vija Celmins. He is to be formally arraigned on a charge of institutional vandalism in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court on July 29.

The 31-by-37½-inch oil-on-canvas painting of a black starlit night had a large vertical gouge in the middle, damaging it beyond repair, according to a police affidavit. The painting was valued at $1.2 million, authorities said.

Court documents indicate the suspect used a key or other implement to damage the painting. which he disliked.

Museum spokeswoman Betsy Momich would not comment beyond confirming that a piece of art was vandalized and a suspect was arrested.

Serebrykov was arrested May 20.