A tourist visiting Verona’s Maffei Palace in Italy caused serious damage to a unique crystal-studded art chair named after Vincent van Gogh. The piece, created by Italian artist Nicola Bolla, was covered in hundreds of Swarovski crystals and displayed prominently in the historic gallery.
Security Footage Captures
The incident unfolded when the tourist, accompanied by a woman, attempted to pose for photos near the fragile chair. At first, he only pretended to sit, but later decided to sit on it fully. As soon as he did, the delicate structure collapsed beneath him. Security footage captured the man losing balance and trying to grab the wall to avoid falling, while the woman rushed to help him up.
Instead of alerting staff, the couple quietly left the room without informing the museum. The gallery later shared the footage online to raise awareness and express their frustration over the careless act.
“Every museum’s nightmare has become reality, even in Palazzo Maffei,” the museum posted 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.”
The museum said it wasn’t just reporting the event, but wanted to start a campaign about respecting art.
“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.”
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Social Media Backlash
As the video went viral, social media users didn’t hold back their criticism.
“They even got away. There are no words,” wrote one user.
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.”
Thankfully, the museum was able to restore the damaged chair.
“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 remains unclear whether the couple will be held accountable for the damage or what the restoration cost was.
