Art critic Avelina Lésper has accidentally destroyed a contemporary piece at Mexico’s premiere art fair.
Lésper said she accidentally shattered the installation at the Zona Maco art fair in Mexico City when she placed an empty soda can near it to express her disdain for the piece: a sheet of glass with a stone, soccer ball and other random objects suspended inside.
The display was by Mexican artist Gabriel Rico, who contrasts objects made by humans, such as tennis balls, with objects found in nature, such as feathers and rocks. Lésper said she was then told the piece was valued at $20,000.
The gallery displaying the work criticised Lésper’s behaviour as unprofessional, saying that Lésper came too close to the work, The Guardian reported.
Lésper said she suggested the gallery leave the piece shattered, to show its evolution. When they rejected that idea, she said she offered to repair it.The gallery said it would get in touch with the artist before announcing its next steps.
