A Czech citizen smashed a sculpture by artist Ai Weiwei at an exhibition in Italy
A Czech citizen smashed a sculpture by Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei at the opening of his exhibition in the Italian city of Bologna. This was reported by Reuters on August 21.
CCTV footage posted by Ai Weiwei shows a man pushing a sculpture called "Porcelain Cube," smashing it, and then holding a piece of it above his head.
Bologna police told local media that the 57-year-old Czech national was arrested. How he got into the invitation-only event was not reported.
Arturo Galansino, the curator of the exhibition, said the perpetrator was well known in the art world for a series of "disturbing and destructive episodes" over the years involving various exhibitions and institutions in Florence.
Earlier, on June 11, two animal rights activists vandalized a portrait of King Charles III at the Philip Mould Gallery in London. With their provocation, the group was trying to draw public attention to a recent investigation carried out on 45 RSPCA farms.
