Miami police charged a local artist with criminal mischief for breaking a $1 million vase by Ai Weiwei, a Chinese dissident artist, Sunday.
Maximo Caminero, 51, deliberately dropped the vase at Perez Art Museum in Miami. He told the police that the act was a protest against the museum that did not showcase the art of the local artists.
"I did it for all the local artists in Miami that have never been shown in museums here," he told the Miami New Times. "They have spent so many millions now on international artists." He also added that he did was aware that the vase so expensive and thought it to be "a common clay pot like you would find at Home Depot, frankly."
According to the police report, a security guard said Caminero picked a vase that was part of the floor installation and when he was told to put it down, he dropped it on the floor. The broken vase is described by Weiwei as originally made during China's Han dynasty, and was reportedly more than 2,000 years old.
The piece, titled 'Colored Vases,' is part of WeiWei's exhibit 'According to What,' which opened along with the museum in late 2013. The exhibition will continue till mid-March. It also includes an artwork, 'Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn' that depicts depicting Weiwei smashing an ancient Chinese vase.
Weiwei is a Chinese dissident who was detained in 2011 by China for over three months for alleged economic crimes.
The 56-year-old artist responded to the act saying that he was used to people smashing his art. "When I received the report of the damage, I didn't pay much attention, because my work is often being destroyed or broken during the exhibitions," Ai said reports ninemsn. "So, I thought... the museum will take care of it, or the insurance company."
However, Caminero apologised Tuesday for breaking the vase. "I have not the right to break his piece. I feel sorry for that," he told the Miami Herald, referring to Ai's art. "I'd like to apologize for all the inconvenience I caused Weiwei. I have no right to break the piece of someone else."
