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18th Century Statue Destroyed By A Tourist Taking A Picture In Lisbon Museum
If you hated selfies before, you’re going to go a step beyond hate after you hear about this tourist, who knocked over and destroyed an 18th-century statue while trying to snap a photo of himself.
The statue I’m talking about is the one of Saint Michael that was stationed at the National Museum of Ancient Art in Lisbon. During the free-entrance-Sunday, a Brazilian tourist was trying to snap a selfie and as he was backing off, he knocked the sculpture to the ground, shattering it beyond repair.
Nuno Miguel Rodrigues was on the scene when it happened and managed to snap a photo that quickly went viral on Facebook. The deputy director of the museum Jose Alberto Seabra Carvalho said: “I’ve been working in the museum for many years and cannot recall anything similar happening.“
The identity of the Brazillian tourist is being kept from public as the investigation is still ongoing.
Update: Thanks to our awesome readers, who’ve uncovered the factual mistakes in the article! The photographer wasn’t actually taking a selfie, according to the witnesses he was backing down to take a picture of something else and hit the statue. The museum staff is saying that the restoration is going to be a difficult one, but it should be successful.
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What do you think ?
Kjorn 9 years ago
i hate selfies. people are so addicted to likes on Facebook, it's just mental illness
G. 9 years ago
I support you, but I think social networks have the same function than years ago that is connect people, the problem is how ppl use them, the culture.
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Quant 9 years ago
I wish plague and pestilence on all of the idiot selfie takers in museums... I see you a******s everywhere! At this point I don't care anymore if you walk into a road and get killed by a bus, just don't destroy our heritage, in fact I'd like to help you onto the road...
Tiny Dynamine 9 years ago
I wonder what an over-opinionated person thinks though...
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Bradley Wester 9 years ago
That's not Acceptable! These types of things should never happen! Better security needs too be implemented unfortunately!
Nayr Sihtam 9 years ago
And just what kind of security do you propose? One guard per visitor ro physically catch any idiot who stumbles trying to take a selfie? Security and this situation have nothing to do with eachother
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Yvonne Bernal 9 years ago
I miss the days when people used to ask other people "Can you take my picture?" . . . and then hand them their camera. (sigh)
Eva Tóthová 9 years ago
i am against selfie trend, just for the record. i think it's stupid.
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Nathaniel Smith 9 years ago
I am from there and the issue was and is the lack of funding, hence the lack of staff they where really understaffed, only 20 when it should have been 50 security personnel. Portugal "invests" in the pockets of certain political figures mostly with it's shady deals that ruin the country and the art and culture they rather sell it and buy a porshes, former minister of culture in 2010 something did it.
Israel Martinez 9 years ago
No ... it's a lack of common sense, decency and courtesy ... anybody with a shred of any of those would have known better than to get too close to a work of art ... that person just had less f***s to give than the average ...
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Aaron Scott 9 years ago
So basically you got all the facts wrong in this story first time round.
Jessica Russian Sifontes 9 years ago
That doesn't excuse the fact that the person was careless and stupid
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Sasy 9 years ago
I am really surprised there is not a rope around such a piece, and that it was not in some way mounted, securely. In many museums you would not get close enough to be able to touch anything at all, there would be at least a metre surrounding, no go zone. As far as selfies being the cause, he apparently stumbled back. That may have happened in any picture taking situation. Careless maybe, intentional no, and I am sure he is probably mortified, to be in the museum in the first place shows he was interested in such things, that does not scream hooligan.
Bridget Smith 9 years ago
That was my first thought! It didn't seem to be securely mounted at all! I'm NOT excusing the carelessness of the man who caused this, but the statue being placed on a tall, narrow column like that was a terrible idea
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Alexandra Alexa 9 years ago
i thought most museums have a no photographs policy... that is such a cultural loss... priceless
Kjorn 9 years ago
i hate selfies. people are so addicted to likes on Facebook, it's just mental illness
G. 9 years ago
I support you, but I think social networks have the same function than years ago that is connect people, the problem is how ppl use them, the culture.
Load More Replies... Quant 9 years ago
I wish plague and pestilence on all of the idiot selfie takers in museums... I see you a******s everywhere! At this point I don't care anymore if you walk into a road and get killed by a bus, just don't destroy our heritage, in fact I'd like to help you onto the road...
Tiny Dynamine 9 years ago
I wonder what an over-opinionated person thinks though...
Load More Replies... Bradley Wester 9 years ago
That's not Acceptable! These types of things should never happen! Better security needs too be implemented unfortunately!
Nayr Sihtam 9 years ago
And just what kind of security do you propose? One guard per visitor ro physically catch any idiot who stumbles trying to take a selfie? Security and this situation have nothing to do with eachother
Load More Replies... Yvonne Bernal 9 years ago
I miss the days when people used to ask other people "Can you take my picture?" . . . and then hand them their camera. (sigh)
Eva Tóthová 9 years ago
i am against selfie trend, just for the record. i think it's stupid.
Load More Replies... Nathaniel Smith 9 years ago
I am from there and the issue was and is the lack of funding, hence the lack of staff they where really understaffed, only 20 when it should have been 50 security personnel. Portugal "invests" in the pockets of certain political figures mostly with it's shady deals that ruin the country and the art and culture they rather sell it and buy a porshes, former minister of culture in 2010 something did it.
Israel Martinez 9 years ago
No ... it's a lack of common sense, decency and courtesy ... anybody with a shred of any of those would have known better than to get too close to a work of art ... that person just had less f***s to give than the average ...
Load More Replies... Aaron Scott 9 years ago
So basically you got all the facts wrong in this story first time round.
Jessica Russian Sifontes 9 years ago
That doesn't excuse the fact that the person was careless and stupid
Load More Replies... Sasy 9 years ago
I am really surprised there is not a rope around such a piece, and that it was not in some way mounted, securely. In many museums you would not get close enough to be able to touch anything at all, there would be at least a metre surrounding, no go zone. As far as selfies being the cause, he apparently stumbled back. That may have happened in any picture taking situation. Careless maybe, intentional no, and I am sure he is probably mortified, to be in the museum in the first place shows he was interested in such things, that does not scream hooligan.
Bridget Smith 9 years ago
That was my first thought! It didn't seem to be securely mounted at all! I'm NOT excusing the carelessness of the man who caused this, but the statue being placed on a tall, narrow column like that was a terrible idea
Load More Replies... Alexandra Alexa 9 years ago
i thought most museums have a no photographs policy... that is such a cultural loss... priceless
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