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A vandal smashed up a sculpture by Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei during the private opening of his exhibition in Italy.

Footage from CCTV cameras – published on his Instagram account – shows a man pushing the artwork over, breaking it and then holding a piece of it over his head triumphantly.

Security staff can then be seen blocking him and dragging him onto the gallery floor.

The incident happened during the artist’s first solo exhibition in the northern city of Bologna, titled ‘Ai Weiwei. Who Am I?’.

The large blue and white ‘Porcelain Cube’ was shattered beyond repair, leaving the guests at the Palazzo Fava in shock.

Italian media reported that police arrested a Czech man, who said he was an artist.

Before and after of the smashing of the sculpture
The Porcelain Cube was damaged beyond repair in the attack at the gallery (Picture: AP)
It was destroyed on the opening day of the exhibition Ai Weiwei, Who am I? (Picture: AP)
The pieces were put back together on the plinth where it originally sat (Picture: AP)

The 57-year-old is understood to be known for targeting important works of art in the past.

It is still unclear how the man gained access to the invitation-only event on Friday.

The museum confirmed that the exhibition opened to members of the public as planned on Saturday.

Ai did not release a statement about what happened alongside the video of the incident.

According to his wishes, the artwork’s fragments were covered with a cloth and removed.

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Italian media reported that police arrested a Czech man, who said he was an artist (Picture: AP)
How the piece looked before it was destroyed (Picture: AP)

They will be replaced by a life-sized print and a label explaining what happened.

Curator of the exhibition Arturo Galansino described the attack as a ‘reckless and senseless act’.

‘The act of vandalism against Ai Weiwei’s work Porcelain Cube is even more shocking when we consider that several of the works on display explore the theme of destruction itself,’ he said.

‘The destruction that Ai Weiwei depicts in his works is a warning against the violence and injustice perpetrated by those in power, and has nothing to do with this violent, potentially dangerous, reckless and senseless act.’

The curator described the attacker as ‘an habitual troublemaker seeking attention by damaging artists, works, monuments and institutions’.

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