Museum director hopes Austrian tourist will be tried in Italy
An Austrian tourist visiting the city of Possagno, in the Italian province of Treviso, damaged the foot of an 18th century statue created by Antonio Canova.
While taking a selfie, he broke two of his fingers. Paolina Borghese. Frightened, the tourist fled the scene.
The clumsy act occurred on Friday (31) and will force the Canova Museum of Possagno, making changes to the work and using invaluable plaster molds.
The director of the museum, quoted by Corriere della Sera, argues that the “tourist should be detained” for at least a day or two to “understand the gravity of the unprecedented absurdity he committed. I hope he is tried in Italy.”
“This episode does not come from Italian visitors or citizens from outside the European Union, but from an unconscious Austrian tourist who decided to pose for a photo sitting on the Paolina Borghese, breaking his toes. An unacceptable scar,” she added.
Who was Antonio Canova
Born in Possagno in 1757, sculptor Antonio Canova stood out with his style inspired by the art of Ancient Greece.
However, he developed his own style from his reading of Greco-Roman art.
He studied sculpture and drawing in the city of Veneza, however, was Rome who carried out much of his artistic work.
He is considered the greatest European sculptor since Gian Bernini, also Italian.
His sculptures, mainly of human figures, are characterized by perfection and movement.
Among Canova's main works are “Orpheus“, exhibited at the Hermitage Museum in Moscow; “Theseus defeating the Centaur“, at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, in Vienna; “Theseus defeating the Minotaur“, at the Victoria and Albert Museum, in London; and “Perseus with Medusa's head“, which can be seen in vatican museum.
