Again and again, works of art in Italy are damaged by tourists who go too far for a photo. The most recent incident: A visitor to the Uffizi in Florence leaned against the baroque portrait “Ferdinando de 'Medici, Großprinz von Tuscany” by Anton Domenico Gabbiani until the screen was shown on a surveillance video that the Italian broadcaster TG1 was seen on X. The painting is one of the highlights of the current exhibition. The man was identified by the museum staff and displayed by the police.
Outrage of the museum director
In a photo of the local newspaper “Corriere Fiorentino”, a crack can be seen at the figure of the figure. According to the museum management, however, the damage is low and can be repaired, it is said. The picture was therefore immediately removed for the restoration.
Museum director Simone Verde was outraged by the Italian news agency Ansa. The problem that visitors come in museums to make selfies or memes for social networks are out of hand. “We will issue clear rules to prevent behavior that are incompatible with the meaning of our institutions and the respect for the cultural heritage.”
Series of selfie incidents
It is not the first time that art of selfies falls victim to. Just recently, two visitors to the Palazzo Maffei in Verona destroyed a “van Gogh chair” by the artist Nicola Bolla, who was occupied with Swarovski crystals. The couple had probably discovered the perfect photo motif – they sat on the glittering sculpture, which then broke, as can be seen on a museum surveillance video.