US Art Fair Visitor Accidentally Smashes $42,000 Koons Sculpture

Artist Jeff Koons poses for a photo at the unveiling of his public art piece "Seated Ballerina" at Rockefeller Center in New York, May 12, 2017. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
Artist Jeff Koons poses for a photo at the unveiling of his public art piece "Seated Ballerina" at Rockefeller Center in New York, May 12, 2017. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
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US Art Fair Visitor Accidentally Smashes $42,000 Koons Sculpture

Artist Jeff Koons poses for a photo at the unveiling of his public art piece "Seated Ballerina" at Rockefeller Center in New York, May 12, 2017. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
Artist Jeff Koons poses for a photo at the unveiling of his public art piece "Seated Ballerina" at Rockefeller Center in New York, May 12, 2017. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

A collector visiting a contemporary art fair accidentally toppled over a small glass sculpture by renowned artist Jeff Koons, shattering it to pieces, Agence France Presse reported.

The shiny blue sculpture, one of Koons' famous "balloon dog" series, was valued at $42,000.

The mishap occurred during a VIP preview at Art Wynwood in Miami, and some collectors thought it was performance art or a staged stunt, AFP said.

The sculpture sat alone on an acrylic base emblazoned with Koons's surname.

"I saw this woman was there, and she was tapping (the sculpture), and then the thing fell over and shattered into thousands of pieces," artist Stephen Gamson told a Fox News affiliate in Miami.

Gamson told reporters he thought the woman tapped on the artwork to see if it was a real balloon.

A bystander took a video as gallery employees swept up the glass shards.

"I can't believe somebody would knock that over," a voice is heard to say on the video.

Benedicte Caluch, an art advisor with Bel-Air Fine Art, which sponsored the Koons piece, told the Miami Herald that the woman did not mean to break the piece and that insurance would cover the damage.

Koons, who was not present, is an American painter and sculptor who draws inspiration from everyday objects, including balloon animals. His works challenge notions of what is fine art, even as they have auctioned for as high as $91 million.

His balloon dog sculptures vary in size, from less than a foot (30 centimeters) in height to over 10-feet (three-meters) tall, and come in vivid colors.



Djokovic’s Daughter Steals the Show at Wimbledon with Her Victory Dance

Tara, the daughter of Novak Djokovic of Serbia does a dance as she celebrates her father beating Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia during a third round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP)
Tara, the daughter of Novak Djokovic of Serbia does a dance as she celebrates her father beating Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia during a third round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP)
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Djokovic’s Daughter Steals the Show at Wimbledon with Her Victory Dance

Tara, the daughter of Novak Djokovic of Serbia does a dance as she celebrates her father beating Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia during a third round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP)
Tara, the daughter of Novak Djokovic of Serbia does a dance as she celebrates her father beating Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia during a third round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP)

Novak Djokovic won the match on Centre Court on Saturday, but it was his 7-year-old daughter who really wowed Wimbledon.

Tara Djokovic's victory dance brought a smile to dad's face. Everybody else's, too.

Djokovic had just clinched his 100th Wimbledon singles win and was asked during his on-court interview to shed light on the little dance he's been doing recently.

He said it's done to a song called "Pump It Up."

"There’s a song with my kids — look my daughter’s doing it right now," a smiling Djokovic said as he looked into the crowd. "You want to show it darling?"

The TV camera then panned to Tara, who then showed everyone how it's done: pump your fists down, then left, right and overhead.

The crowd roared.

"She’s the master. It’s a little tradition we have right now. Hopefully we can keep going so we can keep pumping more in Wimbledon."