No self-portraits: why art galleries are banning selfies

The Uffizi Galleries in Florence will set “precise limits” on visitors taking selfies after an 18th-century portrait was damaged by a tourist who fell into the painting after posing for a photo in front of it.

The director of Uffizi, Simone Verde, said the number of people visiting the gallery to “make memes or take selfies for social media” had become “rampant”, and in response, the institution will introduce as-yet-unspecified restrictions to help protect its “cultural heritage”.