Overview

• On June 21 a visitor at the Uffizi tripped over a safety platform while imitating the pose in a Baroque portrait of Ferdinando de’ Medici, tearing the canvas.
• The Uffizi has reported the tourist to Italian authorities for damaging cultural heritage, a criminal offense under national law.
• Director Simone Verde announced new restrictions on selfie-taking and stricter enforcement of visitor conduct throughout the galleries.
• Recent selfie-related accidents at Washington’s Hirshhorn Museum and Verona’s Palazzo Maffei underscore a global rise in art damage by tourists.
• Conservators are repairing the minor tear in the Anton Domenico Gabbiani painting, which is scheduled to return to public view on July 2.