The “balloon dog” sculpture, pictured, shortly after it shattered.

Cédric Boero

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Cédric Boero

The “balloon dog” sculpture, pictured, shortly after it shattered.

Cédric Boero

An artwork collector unintentionally shattered a porcelain Jeff Koons “balloon dog” sculpture, valued at $42,000, at an arts competition in Miami on Thursday.

“I was shocked obviously and a bit sad about it,” Cédric Boero, who was managing the sales space that displayed the sculpture, advised NPR. “But the lady was obviously very ashamed and she didn’t know how to apologize.”

The shattered sculpture was on show on the sales space of Bel-Air Fine Art, the place Boero is a district supervisor, at an unique preview occasion for Art Wynwood, a up to date artwork honest. It’s considered one of a number of balloon canine sculptures by Koons, whose balloon animal sculptures are immediately recognizable the world over. Four years in the past, Koons set a report for the most costly work sold at an auction by a living artist: a rabbit sculpture that offered for $91.1 million. In 2013, one other balloon canine sculpture of Koons sold for $58.4 million.

The shattered sculpture, in keeping with Boero, was valued at $24,000 a 12 months in the past. But its value went up as different iterations of the balloon canine sculpture offered out.

Boero mentioned the artwork collector unintentionally knocked the sculpture over, which fell to the ground. The sound of the shattered sculpture immediately stopped all dialog within the house, as everybody turned to look.

“It shattered into a thousand pieces,” an artist who attended the occasion, Stephen Gamson, posted on Instagram, together with movies of the aftermath. “One of the most crazy things I’ve ever seen.”

Artist Jeff Koons poses beside considered one of his balloon canine works, on show at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art in 2008.

Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

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Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

Artist Jeff Koons poses beside considered one of his balloon canine works, on show at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art in 2008.

Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

In his put up, Gamson mentioned he unsuccessfully tried to buy what remained of the sculpture. He later told the Miami Herald that the story added worth to the shattered sculpture.

Fortunately, the expensive sculpture is roofed by insurance coverage.

“It’s broken, so we are not happy about that,” Boero mentioned. “But then, we are a famous group of 35 galleries worldwide, so we have an insurance policy. We will be covered by that.”