Mishap
The Tourist Who Sat on the Crystal Chair
A photo op, a crunch, and a $60,000 lesson in signage
Image: Unsplash
Incident ReportCOA / MISHAPS
Accidental Damage Rating
- Repair Cost
- ~$60,000
- Curator's Blood Pressure
- 94%
- Embarrassment Level
- 9/10
- Recovered?
- Restored
- Selfie Involved?
- Yes (obviously)
A visitor lowered himself onto Nicola Bolla's Swarovski-crystal-encrusted 'Van Gogh' chair to strike a pose. The chair, which was art and not furniture, promptly gave way beneath him.
The couple had waited for the room to empty. He perched on the glittering chair, she readied the camera — and two of the crystal-studded legs buckled with an expensive crunch. The pair slipped out before anyone noticed.
CCTV caught the whole sequence, which the museum released partly in disbelief. The piece, by artist Nicola Bolla, was delicate by design and never meant to bear weight. It became a cautionary tale about the eternal human urge to sit on things that are clearly not chairs.