A tourist has caused havoc after sitting on a priceless ‘Van Gogh’ chair and breaking it.
A night at the museum turned into a nightmare last week in Verona, where a single thoughtless gesture left a sparkling artwork in pieces.
Surveillance clips from the Palazzo Maffei show a couple stepping into a gallery that housed a delicate sculpture by Italian contemporary artist Nicola Bolla: the ‘Van Gogh’ chair.
It’s a wooden seat completely covered in thousands of Swarovski crystals in homage to the chair that appears in one of Vincent van Gogh’s most famous paintings.
While the woman accompanying him crouched just above the work to mimic sitting without touching it, her companion chose a different route.
He lowered his full weight onto the fragile creation, and the results were instantaneous.
The crystal‑encrusted seat shattered, he lost his balance, and in a frantic bid not to topple over, the tourist grabbed at a nearby wall with both hands.
The pair then hurried out, leaving a glimmering pile of wreckage on the gallery floor.
Palazzo Maffei wasted no time calling out the culprits on social media.
Sharing the incriminating footage, the museum condemned the couple’s behavior as both ‘superficial’ and ‘disrespectful.’
In a longer caption, staff lamented that: “They ignored every rule of respect for art and cultural heritage,” adding that security personnel had only just stepped away when the pair seized the chance for their ill‑fated photo op.
Outrage spread quickly online.
“Idiots! I hope they are reported!” fumed a commenter beneath the museum’s post, while another user dismissed the duo as: “The embodiment of mediocrity, rudeness and ignorance.”
Questions also surfaced about who would foot the repair bill and whether authorities could identify the tourists before they slipped out of Italy.
Against the odds, the story has taken a decidedly brighter turn.
Within days, conservators managed to reunite and re‑affix the countless tiny crystals.
A relieved staff member announced on Facebook: “For days, we didn’t know if it would be possible to restore it. But we did it.”
He went on to praise police officers, in‑house security, and skilled restorers whose combined efforts ‘allowed the work to be recovered.’
The museum did not disclose the cost of the painstaking repair or whether it intends to pursue the visitors for damages, but insiders suggested that Swarovski specialists supplied replacement crystals identical to the originals.
Palazzo Maffei now suggests it may cordon off similarly fragile installations or increase on‑site supervision.
Meanwhile, the restored ‘Van Gogh’ chair is back on display, and sparkling once more.