Overview

• Security cameras captured a tourist collapsing the Swarovski crystal–covered chair while posing for a photo and then leaving the Palazzo Maffei without reporting the damage.
• The chair was created by Italian artist Nicola Bolla as an homage to Vincent van Gogh’s simple wooden chair and carried no-touch warnings on its pedestal.
• Restorers managed to fix the broken legs and return the artwork to the museum’s collection within weeks of the April accident.
• Palazzo Maffei released security footage on June 12 to raise awareness of cultural respect and to help identify the couple involved.
• Local police have been alerted but the tourists remain unidentified, and no legal actions have yet been announced.