{UAH} Miami museum visitor charged with breaking $1 mln Ai WeiWei vase

Miami museum visitor charged with breaking $1 mln Ai WeiWei vase

By REUTERS

02/17/2014 23:42

inShare

Select Language​▼

MIAMI - Miami police have arrested a man who they say smashed a $1 million vase by Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei to protest that the city's newly opened museum is only displaying international art.

Dominican-born Maximo Caminero, 51, was arrested and charged on Sunday with criminal mischief after picking up one of the 16 brightly painted vases at the Perez Art Museum Miami and throwing it to the ground when confronted by security, according to a police report.

He told police he broke the vase to protest that the museum only displayed art by international artists, according to the police report.

Caminero, reached by telephone, told Reuters he is a painter who lives in Miami. He said he planned to host a news conference on Tuesday to explain his actions and declined to comment further.

The artist Ai has long attracted international attention for criticizing China's government policies on democracy, free speech and human rights.

___________________________________

Gwokto La'Kitgum

"Even a small dog can piss on a tall Building", Jim Hightower