21 February 2023 , 11:48
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A £35,000 'balloon dog' on display at an art gallery was shattered into a hundred pieces after a woman 'poked' the sculpture.
Jeff Koons, the most expensive living artist, was showing off his latest work in Miami, US, last week.
But he soon wished he didn't after photos emerged of the tiny dog reduced to smithereens on the floor.
A visitor reportedly tapped the piece to to see ‘if it was a real balloon’.
It was knocked off its pedestal and it plummeted to the ground, smashing beyond repair. The incident happened at an exclusive event Art Wynwood.
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The Ballon Dog sculpture is worth £35,000Stephen Gamson, a witness and artist, told the Miami Herald that the 'please don't touch the artwork' signs were ignored.
He was admiring the sculpture when an "older woman" tapped it, he said.
He says he is trying to salvage the situation by putting in an offer for the destroyed piece.
"When this thing fell to the ground, it was like how a car accident draws a huge crowd on the highway," he said.
He uploaded images to social media and described it as ‘one of the most crazy things I’ve ever seen.’
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The shattered pieces on the floor at event Art Wynwood in Miami (Bel-Air Fine Art - Contemporary)"I was at the VIP art opening for Art Wynwood as I was looking at the art, I pointed to a Jeff Koons balloon dog sculpture," he posted.
"This woman knocked it over. I actually witnessed the whole thing. It shattered into a thousand pieces. One of the most crazy things I’ve ever seen. Anyway, I tried to purchase the broken sculpture.
"It has a really cool story. You will see this all over the news in over 30 countries and in many different languages."
Luckily for the woman, the piece is covered by insurance.
Cédric Boero, who also works for Bel-Air Fine Art galleries, told the New York Times: "Life just stopped for 15 minutes with everyone around."
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He said that a colleague spoke to the woman, who said she was "very very sorry" and "just wanted to disappear".