Couple destroys Swarovski-covered ‘Van Gogh' chair in Italian museum mishap

Yahoo

7 hours ago

The Brief
A couple was caught on camera damaging a Swarovski crystal-covered chair artwork inspired by Van Gogh at Palazzo Maffei in Verona.
The man sat on the delicate piece, causing it to collapse under his weight.
The museum restored the artwork and shared the footage to highlight the importance of respecting fragile art.
A couple was caught on surveillance camera destroying a piece of art at Palazzo Maffei, a museum in the Italian city of Verona.
The backstory
Video captured a couple, who were apparently alone in the room, taking pictures and pretending to sit on Nicola Bolla's "Van Gogh" chair – "a very delicate work, entirely covered in hundreds of Swarovski crystals," according to Palazzo Maffei.
Minutes later, the man is seen sitting on the chair, which collapses under his weight.
What they're saying
"Every museum's nightmare has come true," the museum wrote to Facebook.
"For days we didn't know if it would be possible to restore it. But we did it," Palazzo Maffei said.
The museum shared the footage, saying it wanted to remind of "the fragility of art and the need to take care of it."
"Art must be loved and enjoyed, but always respected!"
The Source
Storyful contributed to this report. The information in this story comes from surveillance footage shared by Palazzo Maffei museum in Verona, Italy, and statements posted on the museum's official Facebook page. This story was reported from Los Angeles.