A tourist caused damage to a historic painting at the Uffizi Galleries on Friday morning while attempting to take a selfie.
The painting, Portrait of Ferdinando de’ Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany, by Anton Domenico Gabbiani, was immediately removed from display for restoration.
According to museum officials, the incident occurred when the visitor leaned back to mimic the pose of the Grand Prince depicted in the 18th-century portrait. In doing so, the individual came into direct contact with the artwork, resulting in what the museum described as “minor damage.
In response to the incident, Uffizi Director Simone Verde announced that the museum will soon introduce stricter rules to prevent disruptive behavior related to selfies and social media content creation. “Visitors increasingly come to museums to take memes or selfies, disregarding the nature of these institutions and the respect due to cultural heritage,” Verde said. “We will set clear limits to prevent behavior incompatible with the dignity of our collections.”
Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.
ArtDependence Magazine is an international magazine covering all spheres of contemporary art, as well as modern and classical art.
ArtDependence features the latest art news, highlighting interviews with today’s most influential artists, galleries, curators, collectors, fair directors and individuals at the axis of the arts.
The magazine also covers series of articles and reviews on critical art events, new publications and other foremost happenings in the art world.
If you would like to submit events or editorial content to ArtDependence Magazine, please feel free to reach the magazine via the contact page.
