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Woman Accidentally Shatters $42k 'Balloon Dog' Sculpture At Art Gallery After Poking It—And Hoo Boy
One of the first lessons you learn as a child is that there are a lot of things in this world you shouldn't touch.
Generally anything dangerous, fragile, rare, or irreplaceable fall into this category.
Apparently not everyone got that valuable lesson.
A woman who was at the VIP preview event at the Miami Art Wynwood Festival chose to poke a sculpture that was on display and shattered it.
The sculpture was "Balloon Dog" by artist Jeff Koons and it was reportedly worth $42,000. "Balloon Dog" was a bright blue porcelain sculpture of a balloon dog. It was 16 inches tall and 19 inches long.
Art collector and artist Stephen Gamson caught the aftermath of the accident on video.
“Before I knew it, they were picking up the Jeff Koons pieces in a dustpan with a broom.”
“[It was] kind of like a car accident on the highway where people start looking and then there’s traffic and then it becomes this big thing.”
You can see the video in his Instagram post here:
Gamson reportedly offered to buy the broken sculpture, but wasn’t given a definitive answer.
District manager for the Bel-Air Fine Art Cédric Boero gave his impression of the accident in an interview.
“Life just stopped for 15 minutes.”
Social media had a lot to say about it.
\u201cBreaking News: A woman accidentally knocked over a balloon dog sculpture by Jeff Koons at an art fair in Miami, causing the $42,000 artwork to shatter, witnesses said. https://t.co/NVXY8D7srU\u201d— The New York Times (@The New York Times) 1676757009
The comments were savage.
\u201c@nytimes I know a guy who makes great balloon animals if they need a replacement\u201d— The New York Times (@The New York Times) 1676757009
\u201c@nytimes And it\u2019s probably worth a billion now. \u201cThe shattered\u201d by Jeff Koons.\u201d— The New York Times (@The New York Times) 1676757009
\u201c@nytimes In my day, you brake it you bought it!\u201d— The New York Times (@The New York Times) 1676757009
\u201c@nytimes It\u2019s all art\u201d— The New York Times (@The New York Times) 1676757009
\u201c@nytimes\u201d— The New York Times (@The New York Times) 1676757009
\u201c@nytimes It may have been $42,000 in damages but this woman is a hero. She has saved untold damage to peoples minds and taste by this selfless act.\u201d— The New York Times (@The New York Times) 1676757009
\u201c@nytimes Not all heroes wear capes\u201d— The New York Times (@The New York Times) 1676757009
\u201c@nytimes @gtconway3d Balloons are having a rough couple of weeks.\u201d— The New York Times (@The New York Times) 1676757009
The broken pieces are being stored until they can be examined by the insurance company.
Boero stated since the number of "Balloon Dog" sculptures has gone from 799 to 798, the value of the remaining sculptures will increase.
It's an awkward situation to be in, but hopefully the insurance covers the accident.