Million dollar Ai Weiwei vase smashed

2014-02-18 8,198

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)

Video purports to show a local Miami artist smashing a $1 million Ai Weiwei museum vase.

Miami police arrested Dominican-born Maximo Caminero, 51, who they say destroyed a vase by Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei to protest that the city's newly opened museum is only displaying international art.

Caminero was charged on Sunday with criminal mischief after picking up one of 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 international artists," according to the police report.

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

He told the Miami New Times he had no idea the vase was so valuable, and said he w

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