Human Interest Collectors Want to Buy Bits of Jeff Koons' Shattered 'Balloon Dog' After Art Show Mishap Creates Buzz The $42,000 sculpture was destroyed last week it toppled over at a Miami event in what a collector called "one of the most crazy things I've ever seen" By Abigail Adams Abigail Adams Abigail Adams is a Human Interest Writer and Reporter for PEOPLE. She has been working in journalism for seven years. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 21, 2023 01:17PM EST It might be broken — but Jeff Koons' "Balloon Dog" sculpture that was shattered at Miami's Art Wynwood event last week is still generating buzz in the art world. The $42,000 piece was destroyed last Thursday when a female art collector reportedly caused the shiny blue porcelain figure to topple over at the annual contemporary art fair. However, some collectors are still interested in purchasing the piece — or pieces, rather. "Some collectors offered to buy the shards," Bel-Air Fine Art district manager Cédric Boero told CBS News, adding, "we are still receiving offers as we speak." 30,000-Year-Old Work of Art in Australian Cave Destroyed by Vandals: 'Massive, Tragic Loss' Among those showing interest is pop artist and collector Stephen Gamson, who said he was at the opening for Art Wynwood when the incident occurred. "I actually witnessed the whole thing," Gamson wrote Sunday on Instagram, calling it "one of the most crazy things I've ever seen." Artist Stephen Gamson | @GamsonArt Gamson previously told the Miami Herald he wondered at first if the incident was part of a "performance," but later realized it was an accident. Now, he hopes to purchase the broken sculpture himself. "You will see this all over the news in over 30 countries and in many different languages," the artist said on Instagram. "It's going global." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Koons' animal balloon figures — 799 were created of various sizes and colors — are some of the most expensive contemporary art pieces ever sold. In 2019, his 1986 piece "Rabbit" was sold for $91 million at Christie's New York, breaking the record for most expensive art piece sold by a living artist. His orange "Balloon Dog" sculpture, from his 1994-2000 series, sold for $58.4 million six years prior. So, Boero is not surprised to see collectors showing interest in Koons' sculpture, according to CBS News. "Bel-Air Fine Art has a 20-years long investment-oriented reputation," he explained. "That, plus a famous Koons piece created the hype." Plus, there is one less "Balloon Dog" in the world.