A tourist’s ill-advised attempt to capture the perfect photo at a museum in Italy ended with the destruction of a delicate and dazzling piece of art.
Security footage from the Palazzo Maffei museum captured the moment a man plopped down on a crystal-covered chair, crushing the fragile art installation beneath him. The chair, covered in thousands of delicate Swarovski crystals, was a piece created by Italian artist Nicola Bolla. It’s been dubbed the “Van Gogh” chair due to its resemblance to the one featured in a famous painting by the Dutch painter.
Rather than mimicking a seated pose beside the chair as the woman accompanying him had done, the man chose to sit directly on the artwork. The seat immediately collapsed under his weight, sending him scrambling to avoid a fall as he grabbed at the wall for balance. The woman quickly stepped in to help, and the two swiftly exited the room before museum staff returned.
Little did they realize they were being recorded the whole time. In a social media post that shares the footage, Palazzo Maffei criticized the tourists for their “superficial” and “disrespectful” behavior. “They ignored every rule of respect for art and cultural heritage,” the museum fumed. It explained that the couple had waited until a staff member left the room before going through with their plan.
The chair’s destruction sparked outrage online. “Idiots! I hope they are reported!” commented Davide Baraldi in response to the museum’s post. Another user, Federica De Guadalupe, described the act as “the embodiment of mediocrity, rudeness and ignorance.”
But, luckily, there’s a silver lining to the story. According to the New York Post, just days after the unfortunate incident, the museum was relieved to report that the artwork had been fully restored to its former glory.
“For days, we didn’t know if it would be possible to restore it. But we did it,” a staff member wrote on Facebook. “A heartfelt thanks goes to the police, our security department and the restorers, whose precious work allowed the work to be recovered.”
It’s still unknown how much the restoration ended up costing or whether the couple who caused the damage will be held accountable for the damages.
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