Overview

• A visitor tripped over a low barrier on June 21, tearing a hole in Anton Domenico Gabbiani’s 17th-century portrait of Grand Prince Ferdinando de’ Medici at the Uffizi Galleries.
• Security cameras captured the mishap, and the unidentified tourist has been reported to police and may face criminal charges along with covering restoration costs.
• Director Simone Verde denounced social media-driven selfie stunts and pledged to enforce precise limits on visitor conduct to safeguard the collection.
• Conservators describe the damage as light and have removed the canvas for repair, with plans to return the painting to its exhibition once restoration is complete.
• The incident follows a recent trend of selfie-related damage, including a Swarovski-crystal chair collapse at Verona’s Palazzo Maffei and an April mishap in a Dutch museum.