Iconic sculpture smashed by careless visitor at Miami art show

A VISITOR at an art fair in Miami accidentally smashed the iconic and highly valuable artwork known as Balloon Dog by US pop artist Jeff Koons.

The delicate piece was worth $42,000 and was on show at the yearly Art Wynwood contemporary art fair in the Floridian city.

As reported by the BBC, VIP collectors and art lovers stared on in horror as a visitor tapped the Balloon Dog with her finger, knocking it to the ground where it smashed into tiny pieces.

Luckily for the startled culprit, the piece was covered by insurance.

The sculpture was said to be part of a limited edition of – now – only 798 pieces.

As gallery staff swept up the remains of the artwork, several collectors offered to buy the shards, which could still be valuable due to the story behind its destruction.

The Balloon Dog sculptures are reportedly among the most iconic works of contemporary art, and have sold throughout the world for tens of millions of dollars.

They have been exhibited at leading galleries all over the globe, some being up to three metres high. Th piece smashed in Miami this week was 40 centimetres tall.

Koons made history in 2019 when his Rabbit sculpture was sold for $91 million – the highest amount ever paid to a living artist.

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