Italian museum reports couple to police for damaging precious 'Van Gogh chair'
A glittering crystal-covered artwork at a museum in Verona was left badly damaged after a couple ignored warnings and climbed onto it to take photos.
Security footage from the Palazzo Maffei museum shows a man and woman taking turns posing in front of the 'Van Gogh' chair, a fragile sculpture created by Italian artist Nicola Bolla and covered in hundreds of Swarovski crystals.
While pretending to sit on the piece, the man loses his balance and falls, collapsing on to and destroying the delicate chair beneath him.
The incident, which occurred in April but was only made public by the museum this month, left the artwork with broken legs and a crushed seat. Despite the damage, the couple quickly fled the scene without notifying any staff. The museum has since reported the incident to the police, though the couple remain unidentified.
'This is a nightmare for any museum,' said Palazzo Maffei director Vanessa Carlon. 'Of course it was an accident, but these two people left without speaking to us - that isn't an accident.'
The 'Van Gogh' chair, named in tribute to Vincent van Gogh's iconic 1888 painting of a simple wooden seat, is deceptively fragile. Although it appears sturdy, the sculpture is constructed from a hollow frame held together with foil - and clearly marked with signs warning visitors not to touch.
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