A 18th-century oil painting has been damaged after a museum visitor tripped while taking a selfie. Florence's Uffizi Gallery said a tourist fell backwards while trying to "make a meme in front" of a portrait of Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany, by Anton Domenico Gabbiani. The museum explained the damage could be repaired quickly but director Simone Verde warned restrictions on visitor behaviour could be imposed in the future. He said in a statement: "The problem of visitors coming to museums to make memes or take selfies for social media is rampant. "We will set very precise limits, preventing behaviour that is not compatible with the sense of our institutions and respect for cultural heritage," he added. The portrait was on display as part of an exhibition called Florence and Europe: Arts of the Eighteenth Century at the Uffizi. The exhibition, which was made up of about 150 art works, is now closed until 2 July following the incident. The painting will be repaired in the interim so it is ready to go back on display. The exhibition will then run, as originally planned, until 28 November. Earlier this year at Palazzo Maffei, in Verona,a man seemingly slipped and fell on to a bejewelled chairby Italian artist Nicola Bolla. He had been taking photos with a woman, pretending to sit on the chair. Museum director Vanessa Carlon said: "Sometimes we lose our brains to take a picture, and we don't think about the consequences. "Of course it was an accident, but these two people left without speaking to us - that isn't an accident."
Gallery portrait damaged by visitor taking selfie
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"Visitor Accidentally Damages Historic Painting While Taking Selfie at Uffizi Gallery"
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TruthLens AI Summary
An 18th-century oil painting at Florence's Uffizi Gallery was damaged when a visitor fell while attempting to take a selfie in front of the artwork. The incident involved a tourist who tripped while trying to capture a moment in front of the portrait of Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany, painted by Anton Domenico Gabbiani. The museum confirmed that the damage to the painting could be repaired quickly, but it raised concerns about visitor behavior. Uffizi Gallery director Simone Verde expressed his discontent with the trend of visitors prioritizing social media over the respect for cultural heritage. He indicated that the museum might impose stricter regulations to prevent such incidents in the future, emphasizing the need for visitors to engage with art in a manner befitting its cultural significance.
The damaged portrait was part of a larger exhibition titled "Florence and Europe: Arts of the Eighteenth Century," which featured approximately 150 artworks. Following the incident, the exhibition was temporarily closed and is scheduled to reopen on July 2, with the repaired painting ready for display. Verde's comments highlight a growing concern among museum officials about the impact of social media on visitor behavior in cultural institutions. This incident echoes a previous occurrence earlier in the year at Palazzo Maffei in Verona, where another visitor accidentally damaged a bejeweled chair by Italian artist Nicola Bolla while trying to take a photo. Museum directors are increasingly aware of the need to balance visitor engagement with the preservation of art, as they face the challenge of managing the intersection between modern social media practices and the protection of cultural heritage.
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