"Reckless and senseless act" Man smashes sculpture by artist Ai Weiwei in Italy

At the private opening of an exhibition by Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei in Italy, a man smashed a sculpture.

The large blue and white artwork by Ai was entitled "Porcelain Cube" and was part of the exhibition entitled "Who am I?" in the northern Italian city of Bologna. Curator Arturo Galansino described the attack on Tuesday as a "ruthless and senseless act".

Italian media reported that the police had arrested a 57-year-old suspect who, according to his own statements, is an artist. The man is said to be known for having targeted important works of art in the past. It was initially unclear how the suspect was able to gain access to the private opening on Friday, for which an invitation was required. The museum responsible confirmed that the exhibition was opened to the public on Saturday despite the attack.

Ai published surveillance camera footage of the attack on his Instagram account. According to the footage, the suspect pushed the sculpture to the ground, causing it to break. The man then proudly held up a fragment before being overpowered by security guards.

dpa