During a VIP preview at Art Wynwood in Miami, a curious art exhibition visitor accidentally knocked over a Jeff Koons piece valued at $42,000. Jeff Koons is known for creating art that draws inspiration from everyday objects, including brightly colored glass balloon animals. The fragile sculpture, one of Koons’ famous balloon animal series, was on display at the Bel-Air Fine Art booth when the incident occurred. Witnesses reported that the woman touched the sculpture with her finger, possibly to confirm if it was a real balloon.
The statue suddenly fell off its pedestal, shattering into numerous pieces on the ground, much to the shock of everyone present. Gallery staff then cleared the debris away. According to artist Stephen Gamson, who was speaking to a Fox News affiliate in Florida, a woman was tapping the sculpture when it fell and shattered into pieces. Despite the incident, the woman, who is an art collector, will not be held responsible for the cost of the artwork.
Bénédicte Caluch, an art adviser with Bel-Air Fine Art, which sponsored the Koons piece, told the Miami Herald that the breakage was accidental and that insurance would cover the damage.
“It was an event!” Caluch told the newspaper, adding: “Everybody came to see what happened.” Commenting to the New York Times, Cédric Boero, another associate of Bel-Air Fine Art galleries, said that the incident had the attention of all people at the event.
“Life just stopped for 15 minutes with everyone around,” he explained. The limited edition collection, which was previously made of 799 pieces, now stands as 798 following the accident.