"Aphrodite di Kansas City" by Bill Lyons was on display at a community center when it was knocked over
A couple in America's Kansas have been sent an "astronomical" $132,000 bill after their five-year-old son knocked over a glass sculpture on display at a community centre. CCTV footage captured the exact moment the child reached for the artwork - which was not cordoned off - causing it to topple over. "You're responsible for the supervision of a minor child... your failure to monitor could be considered negligent," read a letter sent by an insurance company to the parents.
The artwork, "Aphrodite di Kansas City," was on display at a community center when the boy - who was unattended at the time - damaged it on May 19, reported The Kansas City Star. The boy's parents were attending a wedding reception there at the time.
"We heard a bunch of commotion and I thought, 'Whose yelling at my son?'" the boy's mother told local news channel KSHB. "This glass mosaic torso is laying on the ground and someone is following me around demanding my personal information."
"Maybe my son hugged a torso because he's a loving, sweet nice boy who just graduated from preschool," she added to local newspaper The Kansas City Star.
Bill Lyons, the artist, told ABC News it took nearly two years to create the piece. He examined the damage himself and said it could not be repaired. "I want to be reimbursed for the amount of time that I spent on it and for what I think it is worth," he told The Kansas City Star.
Watch the CCTV footage below:
An insurance company sent a letter saying the parents could be accused of negligence. "This loss occurred when your son was in a closed area of the property and toppled a glass sculpture. Under common law in Kansas, you are responsible for the supervision of a minor child and your failure to monitor them during this loss could be considered negligent," The Kansas City Star quoted the letter. "The cost of the sculpture damaged is estimated at $132,000."
The child's mother defended her son, saying he did not damage the artwork deliberately. She also said the sculpture should have better protected. "It's in the main walkway. Not a separate room. No plexiglass. Not protected. Not held down," she told KSHB. "There was no border around it. There wasn't even a sign around it that said, 'Do not touch.'"
Clarifying the matter to CNET, an official said all the city did was to file an insurance claim, as per policy. "We are NOT seeking payment from the family... Our carrier is simply wanting to contact their insurance provider. If we do not seek payment from their carrier, taxpayers' money will be used to compensate the artist," Overland Park communications manager Sean Reilly said.
"$132,000 is completely astronomical," the boy's parents told KSHB. "We'll see what the insurance company says and if they're going to take it to lawyers."
Last year, a woman in China fainted after seeing the $44,110 (nearly 28 lakh rupees) price tag on a jade bracelet she accidentally broke while trying on in a shop.
The artwork, "Aphrodite di Kansas City," was on display at a community center when the boy - who was unattended at the time - damaged it on May 19, reported The Kansas City Star. The boy's parents were attending a wedding reception there at the time.
"We heard a bunch of commotion and I thought, 'Whose yelling at my son?'" the boy's mother told local news channel KSHB. "This glass mosaic torso is laying on the ground and someone is following me around demanding my personal information."
"Maybe my son hugged a torso because he's a loving, sweet nice boy who just graduated from preschool," she added to local newspaper The Kansas City Star.
Bill Lyons, the artist, told ABC News it took nearly two years to create the piece. He examined the damage himself and said it could not be repaired. "I want to be reimbursed for the amount of time that I spent on it and for what I think it is worth," he told The Kansas City Star.
Watch the CCTV footage below:
An insurance company sent a letter saying the parents could be accused of negligence. "This loss occurred when your son was in a closed area of the property and toppled a glass sculpture. Under common law in Kansas, you are responsible for the supervision of a minor child and your failure to monitor them during this loss could be considered negligent," The Kansas City Star quoted the letter. "The cost of the sculpture damaged is estimated at $132,000."
The child's mother defended her son, saying he did not damage the artwork deliberately. She also said the sculpture should have better protected. "It's in the main walkway. Not a separate room. No plexiglass. Not protected. Not held down," she told KSHB. "There was no border around it. There wasn't even a sign around it that said, 'Do not touch.'"
Clarifying the matter to CNET, an official said all the city did was to file an insurance claim, as per policy. "We are NOT seeking payment from the family... Our carrier is simply wanting to contact their insurance provider. If we do not seek payment from their carrier, taxpayers' money will be used to compensate the artist," Overland Park communications manager Sean Reilly said.
"$132,000 is completely astronomical," the boy's parents told KSHB. "We'll see what the insurance company says and if they're going to take it to lawyers."
Last year, a woman in China fainted after seeing the $44,110 (nearly 28 lakh rupees) price tag on a jade bracelet she accidentally broke while trying on in a shop.
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