The “Van Gogh” chair, the work of the artist Nicola Bolla, was damaged by the imprudence of a visitor, captured in video when sitting on her. The incident occurred at the Palazzo Maffei Museum and has caused the Italian authorities to look for those responsible, who will face a demand for damage to artistic heritage.
After submitting the work, made with Swarovski crystals, to repairs, the Italian museum announced that it filed a formal complaint on Monday, June 16 against the tourist who damaged the piece.
According to agency data AFP: “The museum, which did not want to specify the value of the work, filed a complaint specifying that the incident took place less than four weeks and that the chair has already been restored and is exposed again.”
After the lawsuit, the Italian authorities continue the search for the person in charge to face a judicial process for the damage.
Tourist damages the chair “van gogh” and flees from the museum
The fact, according to the Palazzo Maffei Museum, occurred last April, when a visitor tried to take a picture about the work. The video was shared until Thursday, June 12 by the enclosure authorities.
Through a video on social networks, the director of the museum, Vanessa Carlon, commented that the man acted irresponsibly when trying to sit on the work.
After entering, he slipped and fell on the seat, which caused damage. When fleeing the place, the museum interpreted the action as an “irresponsible gesture.” “Sometimes we go crazy when taking a photo and we don’t think about the consequences,” Carlon explained in the video.
“Of course it was an accident, but these two people left without telling us anything; that is not an accident,” he added.
The repair of the work was extensive. Carlon explained that there were days when they did not know if it would be possible to restore it.
The museum described the fact as “superficial and disrespectful behavior that has put at risk the integrity of a work of art: the ‘van Gogh’ chair, by artist Nicola Bolla.”
Through Instagram, the museum stressed: “We have decided not to limit ourselves to a simple report of what happened. We want to convert this episode on one occasion to reflect and raise awareness: art must be admired, lived, but above all respected. Always.”
According to information provided by Carlotta Menegazzo, art historian of the Palazzo Maffei, to the BBC, the piece is invaluable. Although it seems robust, it is fragile.
Menegazzo detailed to the BBC that “two of the legs and the main seat broke”, but also reported that “a great job was done to restore the piece and that it is now again in its place.”
Nicola Bolla’s art work
The “Van Gogh” chair was created in 2022 by Italian artist Nicola Bolla as a decorative piece, following the style of the painting The bedroomby Van Gogh, to whom the work is dedicated.
This chair was built with swarovski crystals, material made with ground glass with silicon oxide, manufactured at high temperatures and machine cut. Each glass must be treated one by one to get its brightness, shape and quality.