Protester charged in breaking $1 million Ai Weiwei vase

A protester has been charged with criminal mischief after he broke a vase, valued at $1 million, that was made by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and was being displayed in a Miami museum.

Reuters reports that Maximo Caminero broke one of the 16 WeiWei pots made by the dissident artist as a show of protest because the new Perez Art Museum only shows international art.

The 51-year-old Caminero claims that he plans to call a press conference to further explain his actions over smashing Weiwei's vase.

According to The Washington Times, when a security guard saw him, he ordered Caminero to stop what he was doing, but instead he "threw and broke the vase on the floor in protest."

The vase was part of "Colored Vases," and could be as old as 2,000 years. It is being displayed as part of the museum's "Ai Weiwei: According To What?" exhibit. The Chinese artist took Han Dynasty vases and gave them a splash of paint.

image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

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