CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Man sits on and destroys Nicola Bolla’s ‘Van Gogh’ chair
VERONA, Italy (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - A couple was caught red-handed destroying a piece of art at Palazzo Maffei, a museum in the Italian city of Verona.
Surveillance footage from the museum shows the moment a couple, who appears alone in a room, took pictures while pretending to be seating on Nicola Bolla's "Van Gogh" chair, "a very delicate work, entirely covered in hundreds of Swarovski crystals," according to Palazzo Maffei.
Moments later, the man is seen seating on the chair, which collapses under his weight.
"Every museum's nightmare has come true," the museum wrote to Facebook.
"For days we didn't know if it would be possible to restore it. But we did it," Palazzo Maffei said.
By sharing the footage, the museum said it wanted to remind of "the fragility of art and the need to take care of it."
"Art must be admired, experienced, but above all respected. Always," the museum said.
