Volunteer Destroys Artwork With Toilet Paper By Cleaning It At Taiwan Museum

The practice of keeping the surroundings clean is good. For many, cleaning can be fun and relaxing, but not for a volunteer at the Keelung Museum of Art in Taiwan, who accidentally destroyed a valuable artwork by cleaning it with toilet paper, Metro UK reported.

The piece, titled "Inverted Syntax-16," features a dust-covered mirror mounted on a simple wooden board with a smudge in the centre. The piece, which symbolised the cultural consciousness of the middle class, was created by Chen Sung-chih.

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According to the report, the volunteer, thinking the mirror was dirty, wiped away 40 years of dust, irreparably damaging the artwork. The museum's management has apologised to the artist and is discussing potential compensation.

The artwork was part of the "We Are Me" exhibition, showcasing works created from building materials and everyday objects.

The report mentioned that some critics even argued that the accidental cleaning has become part of the artwork, and should be left as it is.

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In another museum related update, Laurence des Cars, who is the Louvre museum director, recently said that the diamond and emerald-studded crown of Empress Eugenie will be restored as a symbol of "renaissance". The object was found damaged outside the Louvre after apparently being dropped during the October 19 robbery.

"All of the most important pieces, the diamonds and emeralds, are actually still there," she said while speaking during an interview with the France Info news broadcaster.

"A few small pieces of diamonds are missing, but that's about it." She added that "one of the eight gold eagles on the crown is missing."