Tourist’s Reckless Photo Breaks Van Gogh-Inspired Crystal Chair at Italian Museum

In Verona’s Palazzo Maffei museum, a tourist’s careless pose turned a fragile tribute to Van Gogh into shattered crystal and a curator’s worst fear. 

Security footage released just this month shows exactly how it unfolded. A man and a woman lingered near a sparkling chair covered in Swarovski crystals, an artwork by Italian artist Nicola Bolla inspired by Van Gogh’s 1888 painting Van Gogh’s Chair. 

First, the woman mimicked sitting on it for a photo. Then her companion pushed it too far; he sat down. The delicate structure, never meant to bear a person’s weight, cracked under him. The seat gave way, the front legs buckled, and the pair, caught in their blunder, hurried off without a word. 

“They waited for the staff to leave the room,” museum director Vanessa Carlon said pointedly. “And then… off they went, indifferent to what had happened.” 

The chair, which Bolla crafted between 2006 and 2007, gleamed with hundreds of crystals but was built from hollow tinfoil and fragile materials. Despite a clear sign warning “Do not touch,” and the fact that the piece stood on a pedestal, the couple treated it like a photo prop. 

“Sometimes we lose our brains to take a picture, and we don’t think about the consequences,” Carlon said. “Of course, it was an accident, but these two people left without speaking to us, that isn’t an accident. This is a nightmare for any museum.” 

Carlotta Menegazzo, an art historian at Palazzo Maffei, told the reporters that it was obvious the chair was not functional. “On the chair was a note warning people not to touch, and of course it is placed on a pedestal, so it’s quite clear it’s not a real chair,” she said. 

By the time staff discovered the damage, the tourists had vanished. The museum immediately handed the surveillance footage over to the police, who are still working to identify the pair. So far, their identities remain unknown. 

In a twist of good fortune, skilled restorers managed to mend the “Van Gogh chair.” Carlon praised the “outstanding job” and confirmed the sculpture is now back on display, good as new, though its fragility and the lesson behind its near ruin remain. 

The museum released the footage publicly as a cautionary tale. “Art must be respected!” Palazzo Maffei stressed in a statement. “This serious event is an opportunity for reflection for everyone.”

The incident joins a growing list of museum mishaps driven by visitors seeking viral selfies at any cost. Just this April, a Mark Rothko painting valued at tens of millions was damaged by a child in the Netherlands. Last year, an Ai Weiwei sculpture was smashed during an opening in Bologna.