MIAMI (WFLA) — A woman at an art fair in Miami made an expensive blunder when she broke a sculpture that was worth tens of thousands of dollars, according to reports.
The Miami Herald reported that a woman at a VIP preview event for Art Wynwood broke a $42,000 porcelain sculpture by artist Jeff Koons Thursday.
The sculpture in question was an electric blue balloon dog, which was part of a collection of balloon dogs by the artist.
According to artist Stephen Gamson, a Koons fan who spoke to the Herald, the woman, who was said to be an art collector, tapped on the sculpture, only to knock it off its pedestal and shatter it into pieces.
Video of the aftermath showed people gathered around the shards.
“Oh my god, oh this is exciting!” a woman is heard saying. “Now you see that is the new art installation cause everything is art.”
“I can’t believe someone would knock that over,” a man said.
Fortunately for her, the gallery did not require her to pay for the $42,000 sculpture. An art adviser said the work of art was insured.
Even though it was broken into pieces, it could still be worth a lot of money. The adviser told the Herald that Gamson offered to buy the balloon dog’s remains for $15 million on the spot.
While some balloon dogs sell for about $11,000, Koons’ largest “Balloon Dog” is one of the most expensive works of art sold by a living artist. That version of the balloon dog sculpture sold for over $58 million in 2013, according to fineartmultiple.