by The director of the Uffizi galleries of Italy has sharply criticized tourists obsessed with social media after a visitor who posed for a photo has shot an oil painting from the 17th century.
The young Italian man asked his girlfriend to take a photo of him that posed in front of the painting of a Prince of the Medici family in the museum in Florence, Tuscany.
According to reports, he wanted to create an amusing picture by imitating the attitude of Grand Prince Ferdinando de ‘Medici, the aristocrat in the painting.
But when he stepped onto the work of art, he stumbled over a foot-high barrier, exhibited his hand to stabilize himself and tore a cut in the screen of the portrait.
The result that took place on Saturday was recorded on a surveillance camera. The man was identified and reported to the police. He faces the criminal persecution and may have to pay the costs of the painting.
The director of the Uffizi said it was the latest example for tourists who used their visits to collect material for their social media feeds.
“A tourist who wanted to create a kind of meme in front of the painting and beat the same pose as the Medici prince tore off the canvas of the artwork,” said Simone Verde.
“The problem of visitors who come in museums to create memes or make selfies for social media is now widespread. We have set very precise rules to try to hinder behavior that is not compatible with regard to our cultural heritage.”
Tourists are routinely caught the cultural heritage of Italy, from scratches of their initials to the walls of the Colosseum in Rome to delicate statues and in the hot summer months in baroque fountain.
It is the second time this month that tourists in Italy have damaged a work of art. A week ago, a middle-aged man was caught on CCTV film material and accidentally teamed up a decorated chair of thousands of Swarovski crystals in a museum in Verona.
The film material showed the man who joked with his wife and was sitting on the chair “Van Gogh”, who immediately buckled up. The couple made an urgent exit from the gallery.
Museum curators appealed to visitors to respect art after the incident. “Sometimes we lose our brain to take a photo and we don’t think about the consequences,” said Vanessa Carlon, the museum director.
“Of course it was an accident, but these two people went without talking to us – this is not an accident. This is a nightmare for every museum. Art must be respected and loved because it is very fragile.”
