A 12-year-old boy accidentally punched a hole through a $2 million, centuries-old Italian oil painting when he tripped and fell into the piece during an exhibition in Taiwan.
A screenshot from the CCTV footage showing the child tripping into the painting. Photo: Video screenshot
The painting, entitled Flowers, by Italian artist Paolo Porpora, dates back to the 1600s and is part of a collection of 55 artworks on show in the country's capital.
The accident put a fist-sized tear in the painting but the organisers of the exhibition said CCTV footage showed it was an accident and they would not be seeking damages from the boy's family.
The painting is being restored on site.
The organisers have decided not to seek damages from the boy's family, according to China News Agency.
The boy joins a select list of expensive art blunders. In 2006, a British man smashed a set of 300-year-old Chinese vases after tripping over his shoelaces at a museum in Cambridge. And gaming tycoon Steve Wynn accidentally poked his elbow through the canvas of a $US155m Picasso painting.
- AAP / AFP
