Clet's 'Uomo Comune' statue destroyed in Florence, artist offers reward for missing head

The 'Uomo Comune' statue by French street artist Clet, a fixture on Florence's Ponte alle Grazie since 2011, was found destroyed on the banks of the Arno River near Ponte Vecchio after being thrown into the water. The artist, known for altering street signs with stickers, reported the vandalism on social media, stating that all parts of the statue were recovered except the head. Clet, 59, whose real name is Jean Marie Clet Abraham, opened his studio in San Niccolò twenty years ago and gained fame for modifying traffic signs with stickers, starting with the legendary 'Cristo sulla strada senza uscita'. He has been both beloved and controversial in Florence; the same statue previously led to a trial for unauthorized installation, from which he was acquitted. While his stickers were initially removed and fined, he has recently established a dialogue with the Florence city council. The statue, made of fiberglass and polystyrene, was often used as a canvas by youths and tourists, covered in stickers, given a doughnut halo, and repainted. Clet distinguishes this act as vandalism, contrasting it with art, and has promised one of his works to anyone who returns the missing head.