Oh, Italy. Land of art, pasta, and… broken chairs?
Yep, it’s not every day that an art mishap goes viral for being this ridiculous and this glittery.
But here we are: a bedazzled chair inspired by Van Gogh’s famous painting, encrusted with hundreds of Swarovski crystals, was crushed in Verona’s Palazzo Maffei museum — not by an earthquake, not by a freak accident, but by a tourist with a weak squat game and a stronger-than-expected desire for a photo.
So, how the hell did this even happen?
Let’s set the scene. The “Van Gogh Chair,” created by Italian artist Nicola Bolla, isn’t just a fancy place to sit, it’s art. It’s not meant for your Instagram moment.
But a couple inside the museum apparently didn’t get that memo. Security footage shows them alone in the gallery, snapping pics. The woman leans in, carefully pretending to sit on the chair. No harm done.
But then comes her partner, who either misjudged the concept of pretending or just plain went for it, and he actually sits down.
Now, you might expect a sturdy throne given the sparkle and the pedestal, but nope. The chair’s frame was hollow, held together by foil, and built more for admiration than for butt support. It crumpled like a soda can.
The man, in a clumsy attempt to save himself from a full-blown fall, reaches out to the wall for support. Too late. The chair collapses under him, splintering with a very expensive crack. His partner rushes to help, and the two bolt from the scene before museum staff could even react. No apologies. No “sorry about your priceless object.” Just pure art crime in motion.
Naturally, the museum was livid. “Sometimes we lose our brains to take a picture,” museum director Vanessa Carlon said which, to be fair, is the most generous way to describe this kind of boneheaded behavior.
She called it “a nightmare for any museum,” and she’s not wrong. The museum even posted the CCTV footage publicly as a sort of PSA: “This is why we can’t have nice things.”
And no, this wasn’t some priceless Van Gogh original. Let’s clear that up.
Van Gogh didn’t sit on this chair, nor did he bedazzle it. This was a contemporary art piece inspired by the chair in his painting.
Still, it’s art. It was on display. And yes, it was labeled “do not touch” and placed on a pedestal. Not a single excuse can be made here. Except maybe the guy’s knees gave out trying to pretend to sit?
That’s the internet’s working theory, anyway.
So, what happened to the chair?
Miraculously, the museum’s restorers managed to bring it back to life. Two legs and the seat were crushed, but the piece is now restored and back in place.
No word on how much that cost, and whether the couple will ever be held responsible (spoiler: probably not, unless they’re identified and tracked down by Italian art police).
The internet had a field day, of course. Comments ranged from “idiots!” to “why wasn’t this thing protected?”
Honestly, both points are valid. If you put something that delicate in the open without ropes or a glass case, you’re gambling with human stupidity. But still just don’t sit on things in museums, okay?
So what’s really going on here?
From the museum’s side: a clear case of modern museum anxiety—art needs to be accessible, but not this accessible. From the tourist’s side? Maybe an overenthusiastic moment turned viral embarrassment, or maybe just someone chasing clout without reading the room.
To the average human with a functioning moral compass? This is like walking into someone’s house, sitting on their wedding cake, and running away. You just… don’t do that.
Just put more visible barriers around fragile artwork.
Well, I write daily (mostly the weird stuff I find interesting). If you like this whole no-nonsense approach, feel free to bookmark and come back tomorrow, or continue reading other stories to make up your mind.
See ya, internet friend.
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