Vaclav Pisvejc Attacks Marina Abramović at Palazzo Strozzi

On September 23, 2018, Czech artist Vaclav Pisvejc (born 1967 in Prague) assaulted Marina Abramović (born 1946 in Belgrade) in the courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy. The attack occurred after a book signing for "Marina Abramović Interviews 1976-2018," part of events surrounding her exhibition "Marina Abramović. The Cleaner," curated by Arturo Galansino, director of Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi. Pisvejc approached Abramović with a distorted portrait of her, then smashed it against her head, trapping her in the frame. Security subdued him, and Abramović was unharmed but shocked. She later met with Pisvejc, who claimed he acted "for his art." Abramović expressed compassion and referenced the Dalai Lama on forgiveness. Pisvejc has a history of provocative acts in Florence: in 2012 he plastered fake dollars on the former convent of Sant'Orsola; in 2014 he lay naked on dollars near Casa Martelli; in 2015 he stripped in Santa Maria del Fiore; and in January 2018 he spray-painted Urs Fischer's sculpture "Big Clay" in Piazza della Signoria. Despite these incidents, he was released after the assault. Florence mayor Dario Nardella condemned the attack via Twitter.