Busy taking virtual photos, tourist breaks Van Gogh chair worth over 1 billion
The tourist was only supposed to act out a scene of sitting on a chair to take a photo, but he actually slipped and fell. The whole museum was stunned, and the priceless artifacts were badly damaged.
Báo Khoa học và Đời sống•17/06/2025
The Palazzo Maffei Museum in Verona, Italy recently reported that a man and a woman broke the "Van Gogh chair" by artist Nicola Bolla. The incident happened last April. Photo: finestresullarte. This interior artwork is covered with hundreds of Swarovski crystals made from machine-cut glass in honor of Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. Photo: Palazzo Maffei.
According to the video , after taking the woman’s photo, the man changed places, approached the crystal chair and posed sitting on it. Photo: Palazzo Maffei Verona via Storyful. The male tourist apparently slipped and fell on the chair, causing the leg to break. The two tourists left without saying anything. It was only later that museum staff discovered the damaged artifact. Photo: Palazzo Maffei Verona via Storyful.
The Palazzo Maffei museum management has reported the incident to the police but has not yet identified the two tourists who broke the "Van Gogh chair". Photo: Palazzo Maffei Verona. "Sometimes we lose our minds and take a photo without thinking about the consequences. Of course, this was an accident, but these two people left without saying anything to us. So it's no longer an unintentional act," said museum director Vanessa Carlon. Photo: Palazzo Maffei Verona.
The chair had a broken leg, but the museum repaired it and put it back on display. Carlotta Menegazzo, an art historian at Palazzo Maffei, said that although the chair looked sturdy on the outside, it was very weak because the frame was hollow. The museum had a warning on the chair not to touch the object. Photo: Palazzo Maffei Verona. Readers are invited to watch the video: Strange museum that stores hair of more than 16,000 women around the world .
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