Photo: Palazzo Maffei Verona Facebook
A tourist was caught on camera damaging a Swarovski crystal-encrusted chair at the Palazzo Maffei museum in Verona, Italy. The chair, created by Italian artist Nicola Bolla and inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's 1888 painting "Van Gogh's Chair," was seriously damaged when the tourist sat on it for a photo, breaking its seat and two front legs. The incident, which occurred in April, was captured by security cameras and later shared by the museum on social media to raise awareness about respecting art.
The museum described the chair as "extremely fragile" and initially feared it might not be repairable. However, thanks to the efforts of restorers, the artwork was successfully restored to its original state. The museum expressed gratitude to the police, security department, and restorers for their work in recovering the piece.
The identities of the tourists involved remain unknown, and it is unclear if they will face any consequences. The museum hopes the incident will serve as a reminder to visitors about the importance of treating art with care and respect.
The museum shared the footage on social media to start a campaign on the value of art.