With a can of turpentine at a Jackson Pollack exhibit :
A million-dollar mistake in German museum
By Mike Krumboltz | The Upshot – 2 hrs 6 mins ago
File this one under "O" for "Oops." A cleaner with the best intentions accidentally destroyed a piece of art worth more than $1 million when she removed what she thought was a "stain" from the installation. Spoiler alert: It wasn't really a stain.
The piece of art, titled "When It Starts Dripping From The Ceilings," features a series of wooden planks and a (formerly) discolored plastic bowl. The artist, the late Martin Kippenberger, intended for viewers to understand that the bowl had been discolored by water running over the pieces of wood.
Unfortunately, the bowl isn't so discolored anymore. A spokesperson from the art museum in Dortmund, Germany, remarked that "it is now impossible to return it to its original state." The cleaner was apparently unaware that she was supposed to stay at least 20 centimeters away from the works of art. [She probably didn't recognize the monstrosity as a work of "art"]
Kippenberger died at the age of 43 in 1997, but he left behind a large collection of work. Roberta Smith of the New York Times said he was "widely regarded as one of the most talented German artists of his generation." Like many of the greats, his work has grown more valuable since his death. In 2005, a Kippenberger painting went for more than $1 million.
So far, there's been no word on whether the cleaning woman will be in any legal or financial trouble for her mistake. The piece of art was on loan to the museum from a private collector, who will probably think twice before lending out any more million-dollar pieces of art. According to the AP, insurance adjusters are currently "assessing the damage." It'll be up to the owner to decide whether to approve an effort to restore the piece to something resembling its original state, or just leave it as is.
Well I have no problem with "art" of this nature being interfered with. I think it's possible she has added to its artfulness!
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
'Art' like that makes me laugh at art. That someone paid $1 million for it just proves some people have WAY too much money to spend.
60 Minutes did a piece on art many years ago - I think Andy Rooney - that made me shake my head. Some 'artist' nailed a piece of thread to the wall and called it something and some fool paid many thousands for it.
Please don't misunderstand - I have a taste for some art. But some of the stuff called art pushes the limits of credulity, IMHO.
Poor cleaning lady. So thorough & conscientious in her work! I hope she doesn't lose her job.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan
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