A Museum Employee in Germany Was Fired for Putting Up His Own Art
Someone in Germany was so confident in their artistic abilities, they went ahead and installed one of their paintings in a museum—without anyone else knowing.
A man in Munich is accused of illicitly hanging a painting in the Pinakothek der Moderne, The New York Times reported on Wednesday. The 51-year-old was an employee of the museum, and he hung his work on the modern-art floor while assisting in the installation of an exhibit on philanthropy.
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“He was carrying tools, that’s why he went totally unnoticed,” Tine Nehler, a spokesperson for the museum, told the Times. “As a technician, he was able to move around all areas of the building outside of opening hours.”
Little more is known about the man, as the museum declined to share his identity and his artistic background. It did say, however, that his painting was about 45 inches wide by 25 inches long, The New York Times noted. It’s unclear how long the painting was hanging in the museum before it was noticed and removed.
The employee had been well respected within the museum, but he and the Pinakothek der Moderne agreed to part ways, the Times said, and he’s been prohibited from visiting the institution in the future. Additionally, police told the newspaper that they may charge the man with property damage, because he drilled two holes into the wall to display his painting.
Strangely enough, this isn’t the first time such an incident has occurred—and it’s not even the first time in Germany. In October, a museum in Bonn discovered that someone had put up their own artwork in an exhibit about identity and immigration. However, that museum decided to play into the stunt: The Bundeskunsthalle posted the painting on its Instagram, named the artist, and helped put it up for sale, The New York Times wrote. It was eventually bought for about $4,000, which the artist gave to charity.
The anonymous artist in Munich doesn’t seem to be receiving the same sort of assistance from the Pinakothek der Moderne. The museum—which has one of Germany’s largest collections, with more than 20,000 works—displays pieces by artists such as Pablo Picasso and Max Beckmann. At least for a little while, the unknown painter shared a wall with the greats.
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