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🕒 2 weeks ago

Uffizi Gallery's 1712 Medici Portrait Torn in Tourist's Selfie Mishap

Thumbnail for Uffizi Gallery's 1712 Medici Portrait Torn in Tourist's Selfie Mishap
Image & Source: q1043

In Florence's Uffizi Gallery, a tourist's quest for the perfect selfie resulted in a tear near the right boot of a 1712 portrait of Ferdinando de' Medici by Anton Domenico Gabbiani. The visitor stumbled backward over a safety platform, causing the damage. The gallery's director, Simone Verde, expressed concern over the rising trend of visitors taking selfies and making memes in museums, stating that new restrictions will be implemented to protect cultural heritage.

This incident underscores a broader issue of museum-goers inadvertently damaging exhibits while taking photos. Similar cases include a student in Milan breaking a 19th-century Greco-Roman statue while attempting a selfie, and a woman in Los Angeles causing $200,000 in damage by toppling sculptures during a photo session. Museums worldwide are grappling with balancing visitor engagement and the preservation of priceless artifacts.

The Uffizi Gallery has since removed the painting for repairs, although the damage is considered light and the artwork is expected to return to display soon.

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