A woman tried to take a selfie with an art installation in a Los Angeles exhibition, but ended up knocking over the US$200,000 (S$274,918) worth of art.

She was at the art exhibition two weeks ago, according to Hyperallergic, when the incident occurred.

The exhibition is held by Hong Kong-based British artist Simon Birch, and occupies 12,141 sq m area of an industrial warehouse outside downtown Los Angeles, featuring works by him and 20 other artists.

The exhibit in question is named Hypercaine and was created by Birch and fellow artists Gabriel Chan, Jacob Blitzer and Gloria Yu.

It consists of pedestals with crown-like objects made of different materials such as wood, gold and marble. These pedestals form a grid.

In footage posted online on Thursday (July 13), a woman can be seen squatting down to take a selfie in front of one of the pedestals, when she loses her balance and knocks into the corner pedestal tipping it over.

A domino effect ensues, with the whole row toppling over one by one.

"Three sculptures were permanently damaged, and others to varying degrees," Yu told Hyperallergic. "The approximate cost of damage is US$200,000," she added.

The video was uploaded on YouTube by an unnamed friend of Birch's, The Daily Mail reported.

The exhibition, which opened in March, will end on July 30.