The German art collector, who bought the painting of President Jacob Zuma with his genitals exposed, will not restore the work and will collect it in person.
The Spear, by Brett Murray, was on exhibition in the Goodman Gallery in Rosebank when it was defaced by two men on Tuesday. It was the subject of a court battle this week, when the ANC applied to have it taken off exhibition and an image of it removed from the City Press newspaper's website.
The Saturday Citizen reports that Goodman Gallery director, Liza Essers, had spoken to the painting's owner - who said he wanted the work "as is".
The collector bought the painting, valued at R136,000, in early May.
