A collector accidentally broke a Jeff Koons work: “It broke into a thousand pieces”

Thursday night, a woman inadvertently snatched a work by famed American artist Jeff Koons he was rated at $42,000.

Witnesses say they saw the collector touch a small glass sculpture by the artist before it fell to the ground and shattered.

The episode, which many thought was a performance, took place at a contemporary art fair Wynwood artin Miami, United States.

The bright blue piece was part of the famous series “balloon dogand was a miniature replica of Koons’ famous 11-foot-tall balloon dog sculpture made of polished stainless steel, which is on display in Los Angeles, California.

It wasn’t a performance

“I saw the woman that was there, and she was touching (the sculpture), and then the thing fell and shattered into smithereens,” the artist told Fox News. Stefano Gamson.

Another visitor filmed a video of show employees picking up the glass shards.

“I can’t believe someone could drop this,” is heard in the video’s voice.

Blessed Caluchan art consultant for Bel-Air Fine Art, which sponsored Koons’ piece, told the Miami Herald the woman had no intention of breaking the piece and that the insurer would cover the damage.

Koons, who was not present, is an American sculptor and painter who draws his inspiration from everyday objects, including animals in hot air balloons.

man of records

In May 2019 Koons managed to break an important record: his sculpture “rabbit” (“Rabbit”) became the largest paid work by a living artist at a Christie’s auction that year when it sold for 91 million dollars In New York.

The piece was produced in 1986 and only four copies exist. The one being auctioned in the United States is the only one in private hands, given that the other three are in museums in Los Angeles, Chicago and Qatar.

“Rabbit”, made of stainless steel, is considered one of the icons of 20th century art. After the 2019 auction, the sculpture won the record of the British painter David Hockney, who had sold his painting “Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)” for $90 million.