A museum visitor recently broke a striking crystal-covered sculpture inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s iconic chair while attempting to take a seat.
The artwork, named Van Gogh Chair, created by artist Nicola Bolla, was on display at the Palazzo Maffei museum in Verona, Italy. The piece, adorned with thousands of Swarovski crystals, suffered damage when a visitor sat on it, causing its legs to buckle.
According to Artnet, the incident occurred in April when a middle-aged couple tried to capture a selfie with the chair. When a security guard temporarily stepped away, the man took the opportunity to sit down, resulting in the chair’s collapse. The couple then left the museum quickly without notifying any staff about the accident. In response, Italian police have released CCTV footage to help identify them.
Vanessa Carlon, the museum’s director, expressed her frustration in an interview with the BBC, stating, “Sometimes we lose our heads trying to get the perfect picture and fail to consider the consequences. While this was clearly an accident, their decision to leave without speaking to us complicates matters. It’s a nightmare for any museum.”
Fortunately, the museum has since restored the piece, extending “heartfelt thanks” to everyone involved in its recovery.
Bolla’s sculpture references the well-known chair from Van Gogh’s Yellow House painting during his time in Arles, France, which is one of his most celebrated still-life works. The museum hopes sharing this incident will help prevent similar events in the future.
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