These priceless artworks survived decades but couldn’t survive tourists.
One of the great joys of travel is having the opportunity to gaze at beautiful paintings and sculptures made by some of the best artists who have ever lived. The problem with this public art–in railway stations, famous institutions, temples, or galleries–is that you can never predict how the public will behave.
Recently, a tourist damaged a portrait of Italian prince Ferdinando de’ Medici, which was painted by Anton Domenico Gabbiani in 1712 and hung in the prestigious Uffizi Gallery in Florence. He tore the picture while trying to make a meme of the 300-year-old piece–an act which has forced the gallery to consider imposing greater restrictions on visitors to prevent more damage.
This may sound outrageous to most of us, but it is far from an isolated incident, as artworks have been ruined or broken by selfie-takers all over the world. Some of these pieces take months or years to restore, replace, or rebuild, and they are rare or even priceless to their collections. Despite police being informed of various incidents, museums are surprisingly forgiving, even when multiple exhibits are harmed or broken. Even so, it pays to be careful, as the social media masses are ready to shame those who cause vandalism or accidental damage – as one Chinese schoolboy discovered after drawing on an Egyptian temple. Read on for a list of the most famous artworks damaged or vandalized by tourists.
