Oopsy. A Jeff Koons' "Balloon Dog" met its demise at a Miami gallery Thursday Night. Witnesses report an art collector tapped the shiny blue sculpture with her finger which accidentally knocked the piece to the ground and smashed it into "tiny shards." Once valued at $42,000, the art had to be swept up with a broom by gallery staff.
BBC:
The accident happened during the exclusive VIP-only opening night of Art Wynwood, a contemporary art fair held annually in Miami, Florida.
Local artist Stephen Gamson told the Miami Herald he was admiring the sculpture, when an "older woman" tapped it, knocking it off its pedestal.
At first he wondered if it was part of a performance piece (Banksy, anyone?) but quickly realised it had been an accident.
…Luckily for the woman, the piece is covered by insurance, Bénédicte Caluch, an art advisor with Bel-Air Fine Art galleries which represents the sculpture, said.
Pop artist Stephen Gamson witnessed the event and tried to buy the broken artwork because he thinks it has a "really cool story."
