From priceless art to historic landmarks, some treasures are destroyed in seconds by careless actions. Join us as we count down the most jaw-dropping instances where incredibly valuable objects met their demise at the hands of the thoughtless, reckless, or just plain stupid! Which destruction do you think was the most painful to witness?
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00:00Steve Wynn was left red-faced in 2006 when he accidentally put an elbow through the multi-million dollar canvas of Picasso's famed dream painting.
00:10Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the most shocking times a person's thoughtless, moronic, or reckless actions caused the destruction of incredibly pricey items.
00:19The wreckage yesterday included, ooh, it's just painful to read, eight Ferraris, two Mercedes-Benz, and, of course, a Lamborghini.
00:27The Zootopia Lego Statue
00:31This is the giant figure made of Lego of the fox character Nick from the film Zootopia.
00:36In 2016, an artist named Mr. Chow spent three days building a Lego statue of the foxy Nick Wilde from Zootopia.
00:43Formed with around 10,000 bricks, it cost over $15,000 to put together.
00:48He did this for an exhibition at a shopping center in Ningbo, China.
00:52However, only an hour after the show opened, a young child got a little too excited about Nick.
00:58Smashed to pieces after a four-year-old boy ignored a no-touching sign.
01:02The ropes around the artwork and the no-touching sign couldn't deter him.
01:06The kid pushed the sculpture over and caused it to smash to pieces.
01:09The kid's embarrassed father reportedly apologized to Chow.
01:12Amazingly, the artist refused compensation, stating that the youngster didn't do it on purpose.
01:17The artist accepted it was just an accident. Just an accident? He's destroyed the thing!
01:22Crushing a fortune
01:23Have you ever thrown away a container and then realized later there was something inside it you shouldn't have gotten rid of?
01:29No, because you checked inside beforehand?
01:31Well, apparently it can happen.
01:33In 2000, a couple of workers at the famous auction house Sotheby's in London, England,
01:37saw a box among a collection of used packaging.
01:40So, they took it to the trash compactor.
01:42However, inside the crate was an untitled painting of plants by iconic British artist Lucien Freud.
01:48As you can imagine, with the box being crushed into bits, so was the artwork.
01:53The painting was valued by Sotheby's at £100,000 or around $156,800.
02:01Impressively, the two porters weren't immediately fired.
02:05Board Guard
02:06Meanwhile, in Russia, a guard at a gallery, an art gallery, is getting in trouble because he wanted to be a part of the fun.
02:14In 2021, security guard Alexander Vasiliev was working his first shift at the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
02:22Instead of admiring the artwork, Vasiliev got bored and decided to make his own.
02:27Oh, Jesus! Oh, God! Oh! Oh, Jesus! God! Oh! Mary, Mother of Jesus! Jesus of Nazareth!
02:34Spotting Anna Liporskay's painting Three Figures, the guard drew eyes on two of the faceless characters with a ballpoint pen.
02:42The artwork, which was insured for $1.2 million, needed restoration costing around $3,400.
02:49Vasiliev attempted to get the criminal charges dropped due to stress from being a war veteran and the recent deaths of both his wife and son.
02:55However, it didn't work. In 2022, Vasiliev was sentenced to 180 hours of compulsory labor and ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation.
03:05You know what's missing on that painting?
03:08I just, this has been itching at me for years.
03:11Can't fake it any longer!
03:13I'm so bored at this place.
03:15Chateau catastrophe.
03:16This 18th century French chateau now looks like this after a mix-up with renovation crews.
03:22Depending on who you ask, this instance was either a screw-up of comedic proportions or a sneaky way to help the owner build what he actually wanted.
03:31Chateau de Bellevue was a stunning property in the Bordeaux region of France that had stood since the 18th century.
03:37However, when its Russian millionaire owner, Dmitry Stroskin, returned to his building after a trip, he found that workers had demolished it.
03:45Reportedly, the builders were meant to knock over a small building on the estate, not the main chateau.
03:50The mayor of the sleepy French village surrounding the former chateau is in shock, saying it was a local treasure.
03:57Stroskin soon announced he would rebuild the landmark as it was.
04:00However, irregularities with the permits before the renovation led to speculation the businessman did it on purpose, then lied when the outrage and investigations began.
04:10Fine Art Football Fountain Fury.
04:12Football violence on the streets of Rome that's prompted an outcry over damage to the city's historic monuments.
04:18Sports fans can get rowdy, but not many of them damage a local historic landmark.
04:23In 2015, Dutch team Feyenoord played Roma in the Europa League in the Italian capital.
04:28After the one-all draw, the Netherlands fans, while intoxicated, went on a rampage.
04:33During the incident, some fans severely damaged the Fontana della Barcaccia, a fountain that has stood since 1629.
04:40A Dutch restoration company sheepishly offered to fix the broken fountain.
04:44That damage was estimated to cost 5.2 million euros, or nearly 6.4 million dollars.
04:51The mayor, Ignacio Moreno, took to Twitter to decry the mess created at the recently restored Barcaccia Fountain.
04:58He tweets that the violence is unacceptable, saying it's not the people of Rome who should have to pay.
05:04In 2021, six Feyenoord fans were found guilty for the damage they caused, earning them jail sentences between three and four years.
05:13World Record Cognac Destruction
05:14In July 2012, beverage maker extraordinaire Salvatore Calabrese planned to set a Guinness World Record
05:21by creating the world's most expensive cocktail at London's famous Playboy Club.
05:25However, one guest was intrigued by Calabrese's 1788 Claude Zucriffier Vieux Cognac bottle and asked to hold it.
05:35Yeah, you can probably see where this is going.
05:37The clumsy enthusiast dropped the bottle, which was worth over $77,000.
05:42This was before Calabrese could finish making the cocktail, ruining the record attempt.
05:47Because the bottle had already been opened, it wasn't insured.
05:50In October 2012, Calabrese attempted the feat again.
05:54This time, there was no calamity, as he made a drink worth around $8,820.
06:05The Pretentious Vandal
06:07In 2007, American artist Cy Twombly had his work exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Avignon, France.
06:14However, one art lover was far too enthusiastic about an all-white panel in the artist's triptych named Phaedrus,
06:21worth an estimated $2.8 million.
06:24Rindy Sam kissed it, leaving behind a lipstick smudge.
06:28Restorers quickly got to work, but struggled to remove Sam's mark.
06:31During the trial, she stated she thought Twombly would understand her, quote,
06:35loving gesture, and that, quote,
06:37it was an artistic act provoked by the power of art.
06:41Sam was ordered to pay fines to the painting's owner and the gallery.
06:44And a symbolic one euro to Twombly.
06:47In 2009, an appeals court ordered Sam to also pay the 18,840 euro restoration cost.
06:55The Supercar Pile-Up
06:56This is a pricey pile-up.
06:58It's in Japan. You gotta take a look at this.
06:59As a convoy of luxury sports cars was on its way to an event in Hiroshima in 2012,
07:04several of the drivers were more interested in showboating than getting there safely.
07:08Reportedly, some of the car owners were either speeding or not looking at the road as they showed
07:13off their prized possessions. This caused the leading driver to lose control, resulting in a
07:18crash involving 10 supercars and at least three other vehicles. Some of the automobiles that were
07:23crumpled beyond recognition included eight Ferraris, a Lamborghini, and at least one Mercedes.
07:29Altogether, the damage was estimated to be a whopping $4 million.
07:33Hopefully, they have insurance.
07:36In 2013, the police announced their intention to charge 10 drivers for the catastrophe.
07:42The Elbow of Doom
07:44Steve Wynn was left red-faced in 2006 when he accidentally put an elbow through the
07:49multi-million dollar canvas of Picasso's famed dream painting.
07:54In 2001, Steve Wynn bought Pablo Picasso's Le Rêve for an estimated $60 million.
08:00Fast forward to 2006, the casino magnate was hanging out with famous friends when he announced
08:05he had agreed to sell Le Rêve to New York Mets owner Steve Cohen for a record-breaking $139 million.
08:12However, Wynn is one of those people who talks with his hands and while gesturing,
08:16he accidentally elbowed the artwork, creating a six-inch tear.
08:20Oh, no. And then I said, thank God it was me and not someone else.
08:23It took around $90,000 to repair the damage, giving the painting a new valuation of $85 million.
08:30In 2013, Cohen finally bought Le Rêve for a record $155 million.
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08:52The Multi-Million Dollar Punch
08:54The painting Argenteuil Basin with a single sailboat by legendary French artist Claude Monet
09:10has been on display at Dublin's National Gallery of Ireland since 1924.
09:15It's valued at 10 million euros, nearly $12.6 million.
09:19Notice how Monet adds a line here and a dash there to give the impression of a village on the horizon.
09:25However, on one particular day in 2012, disaster struck when Andrew Shannon visited.
09:31While looking at the painting, he lurched forward and punched a hole through it.
09:35Shannon claimed he fainted from a heart condition.
09:37However, he had an extensive criminal history and just happened to be carrying a can of paint stripper,
09:43which pointed toward the vandalism being deliberate.
09:46It took restorers 18 months to repair the damage, and 7% of the artwork was still lost.
09:52Shannon was sentenced to 5 years in jail for his senseless attack.
09:56What's the most expensive thing you've accidentally damaged?
09:58Let us know below.
09:59The moment that could cost a Kansas family more than $100,000.
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