Outrage after destruction of artwork by Ai Weiwei

There is outrage in the international art world after a man in the Italian city of Bologna destroyed a sculpture by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.

The work, “Porcelain Cube’’ was part of the ongoing exhibition Who am I at Bologna’s Palazzo Fava.

On Wednesday the curator of the exhibition, Arturo Galansino, described the incident as “a violent, potentially dangerous, reckless and senseless act by a notorious troublemaker’’.

On Friday, a Czech man knocked the cube-shaped sculpture made of glazed ceramic off its plinth, causing it to break into several pieces.

Surveillance camera footage of the exhibition space, shared by Ai Weiwei on his Instagram page, showed the man lifting the sculpture and throwing it off its base.

Shortly afterward, he picked up a fragment of the sculpture and held it up in a gesture of triumph.

“The act of vandalism against Ai Weiwei’s work is all the more shocking when you consider that several of the works in the exhibition deal with the theme of destruction.

“The destruction that Ai Weiwei depicts in his works is a warning about the violence and injustice of those in power,’’ said Galansino.

There have been similar cases involving the perpetrator in the past.

The man is known in the art world as a troublemaker who seeks attention by damaging artists, works, monuments, and institutions, Galansino said.

Security guards overpowered him shortly after the incident and handed him over to local police officers.

It remained unclear how the man was able to gain access to the event, which was due to be attended by invited guests only.

The exhibition opened to the public as planned on Saturday.