Staff at the Keelung Museum of Art in Taiwan could not prevent the destruction of a priceless piece of art at the hands of a well-intentioned volunteer who used a handful of toilet paper to clean it of dust. Titled ‘Inverted Syntax 16,’ the artwork consisted of a dust-covered mirror mounted on a simple wooden board with a smudge in the centre, representing the cultural awareness of middle-class society.

The thick layer of dust covering Inverted Syntax 16 had accumulated over 40 years and was an integral part of the artwork, but to the volunteer helping the Keelung Museum of Art staff maintain the artworks in pristine condition, it was just dust that needed to be cleaned.

After failing to recognise the artistic significance of the accumulated grime, the volunteer caused irreparable damage to the artwork before other museum personnel could intervene. Deputy Director Cheng Ting-ching said the bureau held emergency talks following the mistake and is currently discussing potential compensation for the artist.

With art taking so many forms, such blunders are not exactly rare. Last year, a museum technician threw an artwork consisting of two crushed beer cans into the trash, thinking they had been left behind by a visitor.