Uffizi, tourist damages 1712 masterpiece for a selfie. The director: "We will set limits".

An apparently harmless gesture, motivated by the desire to create a viral meme, today caused damage - albeit slight - to a work of art on display at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The protagonist of the incident was a tourist who, trying to imitate the pose of the 'Portrait of Ferdinand de' Medici Grand Prince of Tuscany', bumped into the painting's surface while moving backwards to take a selfie. The work, painted in 1712 by Anton Domenico Gabbiani (Florence, 1652 - 22 1726), was immediately removed from the room to allow for restoration work.

According to initial assessments, the damage is minor and reversible, but the episode has reignited the debate on the distorted use of museums by some visitors. The director of the Uffizi, Simone Verde, intervened harshly on the incident: 'Today a tourist wanting to make a meme in front of a painting, backing away in a pose like the prince of the Medici portrayed, hit the surface of the work. The problem of visitors coming to museums to make memes or take selfies for social media is rampant: we will set very precise limits, preventing behaviour that is not compatible with the sense of our institutions and respect for cultural heritage'. The tourist, who was immediately identified, will be prosecuted.

Il 'Ritratto di Ferdinando de' Medici gran principe di Toscana' (il secondo da destra), di Anton Domenico Gabbiani, danneggiato oggi agli Uffizi da un visitatore che è inciampato mentre si faceva un selfie, 21 giugno 2025. ANSA/US GALLERIE DEGLI UFFIZI

The damage by the incautious tourist occurred on a somewhat historic day for the Uffizi, on which the removal of the crane from the building site for the expansion of the gallery - positioned right in the Uffizi square - that had disfigured the skyline of the city's historic centre for twenty years, was completed. "Today is certainly an important moment for Florence, for Tuscany and for the whole country," said the President of Tuscany Eugenio Giani, taking part in the ceremony on the Uffizi terrace, in the presence of the Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli, on the occasion of the conclusion of the dismantling operations of the maxi crane.

"Hurrah for the Uffizi, hurrah for the removal of the crane, hurrah for the working class who I do not know if they are going to heaven but who have given back a heavenly view to the Florentines," the minister commented, emphasising that the credit for the operation "belongs to the director of the Uffizi Galleries, Simone Verde, to the ministry that I represent, and to all the public and private forces whose contribution after twenty years has made it possible to regain possession of an indescribable beauty in its entirety. 'At last, the people of Florence are regaining possession of their landscape, which does not only have an aesthetic dimension but also an interior one,' the minister added.