Priceless artwork on display in gallery DESTROYED after being targeted by vandal

A piece of priceless artwork was smashed at an exhibition’s opening, in an act of vandalism that the show’s curator described as a “reckless and senseless act”.

The sculpture by Ai Weiwei was on display at Bologna’s Palazzo Fava museum, when a man pushed the artwork over, smashing it into pieces beyond repair.

Captured on CCTV footage, the man then holds a piece of the large blue and white Porcelain Cube above his head triumphantly, before security staff apprehended him.

Local police have arrested a 57-year-old Czech man, who said he was also an artist. He has been known to target important pieces of art in the past.

It is unclear how the man gained access to the invitation-only event on Friday, though the exhibition still opened to members of the public as planned the following day.

The incident occurred during Chinese artist Weiwei’s first solo exhibition in the northern city of Bologna, titled Ai Weiwei. Who Am I?

Arturo Galansino, the exhibition’s curator, called it a “reckless and senseless act”.

“The act of vandalism against Ai Weiwei’s work Porcelain Cube is even more shocking when we consider that several of the works on display explore the theme of destruction itself,” he said.

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“The destruction that Ai Weiwei depicts in his works is a warning against the violence and injustice perpetrated by those in power, and has nothing to do with this violent, potentially dangerous, reckless and senseless act.”

He described the attacker as “an habitual troublemaker seeking attention by damaging artists, works, monuments and institutions”.

The work’s fragments were covered with a cloth and removed as per the artist’s wishes.

They will be replaced by a life-sized print and a label explaining what happened.

Weiwei shared footage of the attack on his Instagram account.

“I hope for his sake that he didn’t hurt himself on the pieces of porcelain,” the artist said of the incident, according to an Italian newspaper.

Weiwei himself is known worldwide for making creative statements by destroying artwork. One of his most famous pieces, “Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, (1995)” is a photo series of the artist dropping the 2,000-year-old ceremonial urn on the ground.