Breaking Art Is Wrong

At a museum in Italy, a tourist broke a fancy chair made of crystals. He was trying to take a picture, but he slipped and accidentally sat on the chair. The chair broke, and he left the room without telling anyone. Some people ask, “Was this art or just a mistake?” I think it was wrong. It’s not funny or artistic – it’s just bad behavior.

First, Nicola Bolla, the artist who created the chair, worked diligently to produce something beautiful. The chair was not made for sitting. Instead, it was made to be looked at and admired. It’s not fair for someone to come in and break it, even by accident. That’s not what the artist wanted.

Second, the museum director, Vanessa Carlon, said she was upset because the visitors didn’t say sorry. That’s important. When we make a mistake, we should be honest and take responsibility. Going away without telling anyone shows that the person didn’t care. Museums are special places. We need to treat the art and the space with respect.

Third, if we let people think breaking art is funny or cool, more people might do it. They might jump on statues or touch things they shouldn’t. That means more art will be ruined. Once art is broken, we can’t always fix it.

Some people might say, “Maybe breaking the chair was a kind of performance- like part of the art.” But that doesn’t make sense. The person didn’t mean to break it. It was just a mistake. And the artist never said that sitting on the chair was part of the artwork. Breaking something doesn’t turn it into art.

In the end, we should remember that art is special. It is made to inspire us, not to be broken. When we go to museums or places with art, we should look with our eyes. Art is something that we should protect.

References: Visitors Break Crystal Chair in Sit-and-Run at Italian Museum (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/world/europe/tourists-damage-van-gogh-chair-italy-museum.html?searchResultPosition=8)

Who is Nicola Bolla, the Swarovski chair artist smashed by selfie-hunting tourists (https://www.finestresullarte.info/en/art-and-artists/who-is-nicola-bolla-the-swarovski-chair-artist-smashed-by-selfie-hunting-tourists)