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107
Tourist Breaks Crystal Italian Museum Piece Then Makes Hasty Exit, Netizens Guess Where They’re From
Two tourists visiting a museum in Italy were caught on a security camera breaking a crystal-covered art exhibit.
The “delicate” chair, covered with hundreds of Swarovski crystals on display in Verona’s Palazzo Maffei, was positioned under a CCTV camera and collapsed when one of the visitors sat on it for a photo.
The incident sent the museum into crisis mode, prompting intervention from law enforcement.
Highlights
- Two tourists sat on a delicate and expensive museum exhibit, breaking it.
- They did not tell the staff, opting instead for a hasty exit.
- The museum went into crisis mode and said that not owning up made it less of an accident.
No information on the identities of individuals responsible for the damage has been shared, but the internet is sure of their nationality.
The Museum says that the culprits made it less of an accident by not owning up
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Image credits: Vincent van Gogh
In a post on Instagram, the Museum called on its patrons to “respect its art,” after lashing out at the perpetrators, saying: “sometimes we lose our brains to take a picture, and we don’t think about the consequences.”
Although the museum only went public with the incident on June 12, some believe the chair was broken in April.
Image credits: Palazzo Maffei
The organization’s director, Vanessa Carlon, indicated that the individuals made their infraction worse by not owning up to their blunder.
She said: “Of course it was an accident, but these two people left without speaking to us – that isn’t an accident.”
The museum initially thought they would were unable to repair the chair
Image credits: Palazzo Maffei
The organization posted a video of the incident to its Instagram account and captioned it with a rebuke.
The accompanying note explained that the culprits waited for security personnel to leave the room before perpetrating what it is now calling vandalism.
Image credits: Palazzo Maffei
The chair, designed by Italian artist Nicola Bolla and named after Dutch Post-impressionist Vincent Van Gogh, was noted for being delicate.
“The result?” the post’s caption continues, “an irresponsible gesture [that] caused serious damage.”
Carlon said she was worried about whether restoring the chair would be possible.
Image credits: Palazzo Maffei
“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,” the message concluded.
The culprits made a hasty exit when they realized what they had done
The Instagram video shows the culprits, a man and a woman, with their cameras posing around the chair while they take photos of each other. The woman goes first, but only leans over the artwork while her male companion snaps away.
Image credits: Palazzo Maffei
When it was the man’s turn, he took it a step further and actually sat on the chair, causing its back legs to slide off the supporting pedestal, while the front two buckled.
The woman rushed forward to help her partner to his feet again before the two made a hasty exit from the otherwise empty room.
View this post on Instagram
No mention was made of the culprits being identified. Be this as it may, social media has ideas about their country of origin.
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Image credits: ThreadedVoice
One comment: “This is exactly why Americans should stay at home. You can’t take us anywhere. Lol,” drew more than 1,400 reactions and mirrored a dominating sentiment.
Another recounted their personal experience in the European culture, noting that it was unusual that these two visitors were left unsupervised.
Image credits: Palazzo Maffei
“I just spent 34 days in Italy. They always have a security person watch the art. This is weird, no one is around,” they wrote.
Another group on social media found fault with the Museum, pointing out that the artefact was neither behind glass nor behind a cordon, making it difficult to know that it was an exhibit.
Image credits: Vincent van Gogh
“I mean, if you put a chair somewhere, you gotta think that someone would actually use it as one. If you don’t want it to be used, then how about putting it behind glass or something,” wrote one person on Facebook.
The chair has been restored to its former glory
Image credits: Palazzo Maffei
The museum has since indicated that the chair has been repaired. It reached out, extending thanks to members of their security team and the law enforcement community at the restaurant in the area.
It is unclear how these entities contributed to the artefact’s restoration.
Many believe the chair should have been cordoned off
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What do you think ?
tameson 4 weeks ago
I don't understand all the comments saying it wasn't their fault because there was no gaurd present and it wasn't roped off. If it was an honest mistake than why did they wait until the security guard left before trying to sit on it? And, honestly, who in their right mind thinks that a crystal covered chair in a museum was meant to be sat on?
Petra Peitsch 4 weeks ago
Yeah, all those comments: "The chair must have been guarded ... must have been separeted by a cordon", are just insane, showing, how little common sense have some people nowadays. Kens and Karens .. and yes, I'm looking at your main country of origin!
Load More Replies...
Brenda 4 weeks ago
Comments are funny, people saying not their fault. It needed protection. Maybe people need to have brains, and common sense and respect. Gets really tired that the entitled people have no respect for anything and " it's all about me and what I want, f*ck you and everything else"
Deborah B 4 weeks ago
They didn't accidentally sit on a chair thinking it was okay. They deliberately and knowingly sat on a sculpture of a chair, in order to take photos of themselves doing so, despite knowing it wasn't allowed. They assumed the chair would survive. When they broke it, they left instead of facing being asked to pay for the artwork they just destroyed.
Bec 4 weeks ago
Yes, I'm the videos and stills they getting pictures. I don't even think he 'sat down', he's just too fat and out of shape to be able to hover above it for the shot.
Load More Replies... tameson 4 weeks ago
I don't understand all the comments saying it wasn't their fault because there was no gaurd present and it wasn't roped off. If it was an honest mistake than why did they wait until the security guard left before trying to sit on it? And, honestly, who in their right mind thinks that a crystal covered chair in a museum was meant to be sat on?
Petra Peitsch 4 weeks ago
Yeah, all those comments: "The chair must have been guarded ... must have been separeted by a cordon", are just insane, showing, how little common sense have some people nowadays. Kens and Karens .. and yes, I'm looking at your main country of origin!
Load More Replies... Brenda 4 weeks ago
Comments are funny, people saying not their fault. It needed protection. Maybe people need to have brains, and common sense and respect. Gets really tired that the entitled people have no respect for anything and " it's all about me and what I want, f*ck you and everything else"
Deborah B 4 weeks ago
They didn't accidentally sit on a chair thinking it was okay. They deliberately and knowingly sat on a sculpture of a chair, in order to take photos of themselves doing so, despite knowing it wasn't allowed. They assumed the chair would survive. When they broke it, they left instead of facing being asked to pay for the artwork they just destroyed.
Bec 4 weeks ago
Yes, I'm the videos and stills they getting pictures. I don't even think he 'sat down', he's just too fat and out of shape to be able to hover above it for the shot.
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