What Happens When You Break Priceless Art

### What Happens When You Break Priceless Art?

Have you ever been to a museum and found yourself standing too close to a priceless artifact or piece of art? Maybe there's just a velvet rope or, in some cases, nothing more than a thin line separating you from centuries-old treasures. Now, imagine tripping and stumbling straight into a shelf of priceless artifacts. What would happen?

Well, it’s safe to say those Etruscan urns would be in pieces, but what about you? If you managed to pick up shards of three-thousand-year-old pottery from your hair, would the museum staff call in a disaster recovery team? Or would they throw you out with a stiff warning?

Luckily, thanks to a few clumsy visitors, we’ve learned exactly what happens when you accidentally ruin a priceless piece of art. Spoiler alert: most of the time, the worst thing that happens to you is an awkward exit.

#### The Picasso Incident: When the Art World Almost Lost a Masterpiece

In 2010, a young woman attending a class at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City experienced just this kind of museum mishap. As she tripped, she accidentally punched a hole in Pablo Picasso's *The Actor*, a painting valued at a staggering $130 million. The tear, which was about six inches long, frayed the canvas in a way that museum staff described as resembling the fibers of an old jute rug. Fortunately, the damage wasn’t as catastrophic as it seemed. The tear was near the edge, away from the focal points of the artwork, and after three months of meticulous restoration, it was as good as new.

But what about the clumsy student who caused the damage? What happened to her? Surprisingly, she wasn’t even charged for the restoration. In fact, after the incident, the museum made a statement assuring the public that she hadn’t been injured and simply went home after the mishap. The incident didn't result in any major consequences for her, and while she may have felt a little embarrassed, she likely learned a valuable lesson: art is fragile.

#### When Accidents Happen: The Case of the Shattered Vases

In 2007, a man in Cambridge tripped over his shoelaces and knocked over three irreplaceable 17th-century vases. The result? Total destruction of the vases. Yet, despite the costly damage, the museum simply asked him not to return in the future. No hefty fines, no jail time, just a polite request to avoid any future mishaps. This kind of response is pretty typical for museums when an accident occurs. After all, accidents happen, and museums are generally more interested in preserving their artifacts and creating a positive atmosphere than punishing visitors.

#### When Visitors Take Matters Into Their Own Hands

While most museum mishaps are the result of simple accidents, some visitors manage to cause trouble on purpose. In 2016, an elderly couple at Pennsylvania’s National Watch and Clock Museum tugged on the moving parts of a one-of-a-kind clock designed by artist James Bordon. Wanting to see how the unusual timepiece functioned, they inadvertently sent it crashing to the floor. However, despite the significant damage, they were let off without so much as a stern word. They likely walked away thinking they had simply misjudged the strength of the clock, but no harm was done—except, of course, to the clock itself.

#### Selfie Seekers and Their Destructive Pursuits

If you think that nothing could possibly be more careless than a well-meaning visitor knocking over a vase, think again. In 2016, a 24-year-old tourist at a museum in Portugal tried to take the ultimate selfie with a statue of King Sebastian. The statue, which had been perched on a pedestal several feet off the ground, fell to the ground when the man decided to scale the building it stood on. The result? The statue shattered into pieces, and the man found himself arrested and fined for destroying city property. While this may seem extreme, it’s actually one of the rare cases where the visitor faced legal consequences. In most museum mishaps, people simply walk away without paying for the damage.

#### Unintentional Destruction: A Museum Worker’s Worst Nightmare

Accidents aren’t limited to visitors. Even museum staff have occasionally been the cause of significant damage. In 2014, a group of porters in England mistakenly threw away what they thought was an empty box. It was later discovered that the box contained a painting worth over $120,000—after it had been fed into a crushing machine. In another incident in Italy, a janitor mistook a pile of modern art consisting of cardboard and newspaper for garbage, and in 2015, the same thing happened when a pile of bottles and confetti was tossed in the trash. In these cases, the damage was unintentional, but still heartbreaking for those who valued the art.

#### Intentional Destruction: A Step Too Far

On the flip side, not all destruction is accidental. In 2012, a man named Andrew Shannon visited a museum in Ireland and punched a hole in a Monet painting valued at $11 million. Though Shannon initially claimed it was an accident, investigators found a can of paint remover in his pocket, making it clear that the damage was deliberate. Shannon was sentenced to five years in prison for the act, a reminder that intentional damage to art will lead to serious consequences.

#### Why Don’t Museums Do More to Protect Their Art?

With all these accidents happening, one question remains: why don’t museums take stronger precautions to protect their exhibits? After all, the Metropolitan Museum of Art put a piece of plexiglass in front of *The Actor* after its near-disaster. The reason is twofold. First, some people believe that too much security—such as encasing every piece of art behind glass—can ruin the experience for museum-goers. Secondly, it’s expensive. Securing every single exhibit at a museum is financially daunting, and many private museums simply don’t have the budget to ensure that every single artifact is safeguarded in the same way as a high-profile piece like the *Mona Lisa* or *David* by Michelangelo.

#### A Word to the Wise

So, next time you visit a museum, be careful! While museums are generally understanding of accidents, even minor damage can take months—or even years—to repair. And though it may seem like you can get away with a little clumsiness, remember that unintentional mistakes do sometimes come with consequences. However, if you ever do break something, don’t worry too much. It’s a human thing to make mistakes, and the important thing is to learn from them.

And if you’re like me, maybe just stay away from Ming vases. Not everyone can say they accidentally destroyed seventeen in one sitting. What’s the worst thing you’ve ever broken?