Regional authorities from the department of the Vendée accidentally destroyed the sculpture Colonne Chromointerférente by Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Díez, located by the doors of the La Roche-sur-Yon College in the western area of France. The work in question, a 6-foot high metallic column, was installed in the aforementioned college in 1972 and its value is estimated at approximately 200,000 euros (about USD 270,000). The incident occurred after the department's general council decided to remove the work because of security reasons. The council affirmed that the sculpture was in a deteriorated state and could crumble at any time. Cruz-Díez was not happy about the mistake and expressed his displeasure in a letter published by the Ouest-France periodical entitled "The Insignificance of Art," in which he wrote: "Art does not exist for those who have decided to destroy my work," and added that he could have never anticipated that "an incident of this nature could have occurred in a country known for its passionate defense of the arts." Cruz-Díez, who became known during the 1950s and 1960s as a member of the Kinetic Movement, moved to Paris in 1960 and, in 2013, was decorated with the National Order of the Legion of Honor given by the French Government.