- A tourist broke a Van Gogh chair at an Italian art gallery while posing for photos.
- The chair, designed by Nicola Bolla, was displayed in Verona's Maffei Palace and featured Swarovski crystals.
- After the incident, the tourists left without informing museum staff about the damage.
A tourist has been caught on camera, sitting on a 'Van Gogh' chair at an Italian art gallery before the antique buckled under him. The chair, named after the famous Dutch painter, was created by Italian artist Nicola Bolla and had been housed in the Maffei Palace, Verona. The chair is believed to be studded with hundreds of Swarovski crystals.
The tourist, accompanied by a woman, initially pretended to sit on the chair for the photo. The security footage then showed him deciding to sit on the delicate chair. As soon as he sat down, the delicate chair crumbled as the man lost his balance, trying to hold on to the wall with both hands so he wouldn't fall.
The woman came to his rescue and helped him stand up. However, instead of informing the museum authorities, the pair quickly scurried out of the room.
The museum took to social media to highlight the irresponsible act of the tourists and shared the footage.
"Every museum's nightmare has become reality, even in Palazzo Maffei," the museum said in a post on Instagram, adding: "An irresponsible gesture caused serious damage to Nicola Bolla's "Van Gogh" chair, a very delicate work, covered entirely with hundreds of Swarovski crystals."
"We are sharing this episode not only for the sake of reporting, but to start a real campaign to raise awareness about the value of art and the respect it deserves."
Social media reacts
As the video went viral, social media users slammed the man for destroying the piece of art, with others highlighting that not many appreciate real art these days.
"They even got away. There are no words," said one user, while another added: "So much ignorance, this is unacceptable! Foolish people."
A third commented: "Unfortunately too many people enter museums just for a shot to post on social media and not because they have a real interest in art, which explains the ignorance and total lack of respect for places and works."
The museum later revealed that after initially being pessimist about the chair's future, they managed to restore it.
"For days we didn't know if it would be possible to restore it. But we did it. A heartfelt thank you goes to the police, our security department and the restorers whose valuable work enabled the recovery of the piece," the museum stated.
It's unclear what the recovery cost was and if the offending couple would be held responsible for the damages.
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