Children destroy glass art installation as adults film them

The bottom of Shelly Xue's 'Angel is Waiting' was destroyed while on display at Shanghai Art Museum

Clarisse Loughrey
Tuesday 24 May 2016 09:32 BST
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Image of art piece 'Broken', previously titled 'Angel is Waiting'
Image of art piece 'Broken', previously titled 'Angel is Waiting'

We all thought accidental breakages were bad enough, especially in the vain pursuit of selfie glory.

Yet, the art wreckers of the world have taken things to a whole new level, with deliberate damage now being the new fear for curators and art lovers everywhere.

CCTV footage released from the Shangai Museum of Glass reveals the destruction caused by two young children, seen breaking a sculpture while their adult chaperones look on with their cameras.

The boys are seen to be playing past the rope barriers surrounding the mounted artwork, pulling at the fragile glass structure while both adults whip out their phones to film their play; except for when one particularly strong tug shatters the bottom of the piece, with the adults finally gesturing their children to move away.

The damaged work was titled "Angel is Waiting", by a pioneer in China's glass works, Shelly Xue; Arte Magazine (via Hyperallergic) states the piece took 27 months to put together and is dedicated to her newborn daughter.

Following the destruction, the artist has decided not to fix the piece, renaming it "Broken"; though the museum appears not have announced whether those involved have received some form of punishment, it did install a screen playing footage of the incident in hopes against future damage.

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