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Selfie attempt damages artworks by Salvador Dali, Francisco Goya

Posted at 9:31 AM, Nov 08, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-08 09:31:46-05

YEKATERINBURG, Russia – Artworks by Salvador Dali and Francisco Goya are in need of repair after a selfie attempt gone wrong in Russia.

Some women visiting Yekaterinburg’s International Arts Center Main Avenue were reportedly attempting a selfie near a temporary wall showcasing two artworks—an etching by Spanish painter Goya and Dali’s interpretation of it—when it toppled on Oct. 27, according to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

surveillance videoshows a woman who appears to be snapping a photo of the display just as it falls toward her, causing her to take several quick steps back, per CNN. A woman behind the structure is revealed before a crowd forms.

A ministry official says three women in a tour group said they’d touched the wall “by accident” while attempting a selfie, though a gallery employee tells TASS there were four “girls” who “behaved inadequately. As a result, they damaged two works of art.”

The frames and protective glass of both artworks were broken, while Dali’s work “suffered damage to the picture,” the employee says. Though the value of the works and cost of repairs is unclear, the gallery has asked authorities to charge the women, per People.

CNN reports Yekaterinburg has so far refused to open a criminal case.

(A selfie-taker broke a famous artist’s glass pumpkin.)

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