Why Selfies Are Literally Destroying Art

Selfies are a great way to easily capture any moment, but they also can cause some pretty expensive accidents. When taking a selfie, it’s easy to forget what you’re doing and the damage can often be quite extraordinary. Take this for example—

While trying to take a selfie at the 14th Factory gallery in Los Angeles, a woman knocked over several pedestals like dominos, ruining $200,000 in artwork.The accident occurred at an exhibit by artist Simon Birch, titled “Hypercaine” is a series of crowns made of different types of material, like wood, nylon, gold, and flowers. In security camera footage, you can see the woman squat down to get a photo, lose her balance, and topple 200 grand in crowns.

It’s hard enough to take a selfie, but then try to do it in a dark room of mirrors and you’re asking for trouble.

At Washington, DC’s Hirschorn Museum, a piece by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama titled “Infinity Mirrored Room — All the Eternal Love I have for the Pumpkins” was shut down when one of the glowing ceramic pumpkins was damaged by a clumsy selfie taker.

Destroying modern art is bad enough. Some selfies have destroyed art from centuries ago. In November of 2016, a statue of St. Michael from the 18th century was destroyed by a Brazilian tourist who backed into the sculpture while taking a selfie.

It’s not always clumsiness. Some people are climbing fragile works of art that are hundreds of years old to get a selfie. In May 2016, a 126-year-old statue of Portuguese hero Don Sebastio was destroyed when a tourist climbed it to take a selfie with it.

In 2014, teenage tourists climbed on a 200-year-old plaster copy of a Greek sculpture from the 3rd century. When the teen climbed the plaster sculpture for a selfie, the leg snapped off and shattered. Thankfully the original is safe in Milan, and “The Statue of the Two Hercules” a monument dated to circa 1700, had a piece of its crown shattered when two selfie-taking tourists climbed on it. 

All this art destroyed by selfies. It makes a man want to get revenge, which is exactly what one man in Connecticut did. 74-year-old Carl Puia was charged for third-degree criminal mischief after visiting a Barnes & Noble bookstore and destroying several copies of Kim Kardashian West’s book of selfies.

Have you ever destroyed anything just to take a selfie? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter at @WhatsTrending.