Two tourists have been caught on CCTV sitting on and breaking a “very delicate” art piece at an Italian museum.

The “Van Gogh” chair covered in Swarovski crystals, made by artist Nicola Bolla, was displayed in Verona’s Palazzo Maffei Museum.

It was destroyed when a male tourist tried to sit on the chair, breaking it immediately.

Another female tourist, appearing to be his partner, stood by taking photos while the man broke the chair.

The museum released the video footage of the incident, condemning the actions of the pair.

”Disrespectful behaviour has put the integrity of a work of art at risk: the ‘Van Gogh’ chair by the artist Nicola Bolla was damaged by some visitors,” the museum said on Instagram.

“[They were] waiting for the security personnel to leave, chose to take a ‘spectacular’ photo, ignoring every rule of respect for art and cultural heritage.”

In another post to Facebook, the museum said they were able to fix the chair after days of not knowing whether the piece could be saved.

“We are sharing this episode not only for the record, but to start a real awareness campaign on the value of art and the respect it deserves,” the post read.

“A heartfelt thanks goes to the police, our security department and the restorers, whose precious work allowed the work to be recovered.”

It’s not clear if the pair were found following the incident.