A tourist has sparked international outrage after shattering a fragile Swarovski-covered artwork at the Palazzo Maffei museum in Verona, Italy, by sitting on it to pose for a photo. The piece — a crystal-encrusted chair inspired by Van Gogh’s famous painting “The Bedroom” — collapsed instantly under the man’s weight, turning thousands of crystals into debris.
Surveillance footage from the museum shows a man and a woman entering the gallery and deliberately waiting for security to leave. While the woman pretended to sit, the man actually lowered himself onto the chair, crushing the structure. The pair quickly fled the scene without alerting museum staff or offering assistance, leaving behind a pile of broken crystals and a damaged work of art.
🖼️Nightmare at the Italian museum: Tourist sat on the 'Van Gogh' chair and crushed it with his weight
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) June 14, 2025
Adorned with thousands of Swarovski crystals, the chair was exhibited at the Maffei Palace in Verona. The artist behind the piece is Italian artist Nicola Bolla.
At first, the… pic.twitter.com/FGK89fAU7O
The chair, created by Italian artist Nicola Bolla, is one of the museum’s most iconic and delicate installations. Covered entirely in Swarovski crystals, it was meant to be admired — not used. Museum officials condemned the act as “disrespectful and superficial,” emphasizing that the couple’s actions were intentional and avoidable.
At first, staff feared the artwork could not be saved. But after an intensive restoration effort involving museum conservators and security staff, the chair was fully restored. In a public statement, the museum confirmed that the artwork had been brought back to its original state, but did not disclose the cost of repairs.
The identities of the tourists have not been made public, and the museum has not announced whether legal action or financial penalties will be pursued. Online, the backlash has been swift and unforgiving. Social media users branded the visitors as “idiots,” “vandals,” and “embarrassments to tourists everywhere.”
This is not the first time a visitor has damaged a high-profile artwork, but the brazenness of this incident — waiting for security to leave, deliberately interacting with a fragile piece, and fleeing the scene — has drawn especially sharp criticism. Art lovers, museum staff, and cultural commentators have called for stronger protections for fragile installations and greater consequences for irresponsible behavior.
The shattered chair has become a symbol of a broader issue: a growing number of tourists ignoring museum rules for the sake of selfies and social media clout. The museum hopes that the viral footage and public outcry will serve as a warning to future visitors — that cultural heritage is not a prop, and recklessness has consequences.
