Fact Check: 300-year-old painting damaged by visitor trying to pose for a meme.

Fact Check: "300-year-old painting damaged by visitor trying to pose for a meme"

What We Know

On June 21, 2025, a tourist at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, damaged a 300-year-old painting while attempting to pose for a photo. The artwork, a portrait of Ferdinando de’ Medici painted by Anton Domenico Gabbiani in 1712, was temporarily on display during an exhibition. Security footage captured the moment when the unidentified visitor, trying to mimic the pose of the prince in the painting, lost his balance and fell backward into the canvas, resulting in a fist-sized tear near the bottom of the artwork (source-1, source-2). The tourist was apprehended and faced charges related to damaging cultural heritage, as confirmed by the Uffizi management (source-1, source-4).

Analysis

The incident has been widely reported across various media outlets, with consistent details about the event. The Uffizi Gallery's director, Simone Verde, emphasized the growing issue of visitors damaging artworks while trying to take selfies or create memes. He stated, "The problem of visitors who come to museums to make memes or take selfies for social media is rampant" (source-2, source-8).

The reliability of the sources reporting this incident is generally high, as they include reputable news organizations such as the BBC, Express, and The Guardian. These outlets have provided corroborating details about the incident, including the nature of the damage and the subsequent actions taken by museum authorities. However, some reports have used sensational language, which may introduce a slight bias toward dramatizing the event (source-3, source-7).

Conclusion

The claim that a 300-year-old painting was damaged by a visitor trying to pose for a meme is True. The evidence from multiple credible sources confirms that the incident occurred as described, resulting in damage to the artwork and subsequent legal action against the individual involved. This incident highlights ongoing concerns regarding visitor behavior in museums and the impact of social media on cultural heritage.

Fact Check: 300-year-old painting damaged by visitor trying to pose for a meme.