Visitor Smashes Crystal-Covered “Van Gogh” Chair at Italian Museum
166June 18, 2025
A visitor to thePalazzo Maffeiin Verona, Italy, mangled artistNicola Bolla’s so-called Van Gogh chair after falling on it while pretending to sit in it for a picture. CCTV footage released by the museum on June 12 shows a woman hovering atop the chair, which is paved in thousands of Swarovski crystals, while a man takes her picture. The couple trade places, but the man appears to lose his balance. Though he attempts to reach back for the wall in an effort to break his fall, he nonetheless lands heavily on the chair, crumpling its front legs and caving in its seat. The pair are then seen fleeing the gallery.
Named in homage toVan Gogh’s Chair, an 1888 painting by the Dutch master depicting a simple chair, Bolla’s work is hollow, its parts secured to one another with foil. It had been displayed unprotected on a low-rise pedestal with a sign atop it warning visitors not to touch it.
“Sometimes we lose our brains to take a picture, and we don’t think about the consequences,” said museum director Vanessa Carlon in a statement. “Of course it was an accident, but these two people left without speaking to us—that isn’t an accident,” she continued. “This is a nightmare for any museum.”
The event occurred this past spring. Though museum officials acknowledge that the damage was accidental, they notified police, who have not to date fingered any culprits. The Palazzo Maffei has since repaired the work, at its own expense. The chair is back on view, this time behind Plexiglas. Carlon has not said how much the work is worth, but told the New York Times that it had certainly accrued more attention owing to the mishap. She is still hopeful that the couple will come forward and apologize. “That would be a nice gesture,” she said. The video of the accident, meanwhile, remains up on the museum’s Facebook page as a reminder to gallerygoers to “respect art.”