Munich’s Pinakothek der Moderne Second Museum to be a ‘Victim’ of Artist-Installed Art by Employee
Suddenly There Were One Too Many Paintings on the Wall
The Munich skyline, with its famed Zwiebelturn, the onion domes of the Frauenkirche, a Gothic cathedral was commissioned by Duke Sigismund and the people of Munich, and built in the 15th century.
Weeks after an art student in Bonn smuggled one of her own paintings into the Bundeskunsthalle and hung it on a wall using double-sided tape, a technical worker at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich did something similar.
The worker, who was not named, installed his work, which authorities said measured 60 cm x 120 cm (24” x 48”), after hours. Because the employee had authorization to be in exhibition halls, the new artwork went unnoticed at first. However, the unacquisitioned work did create quite a stir when it was noticed.
“The supervisors would notice something like this immediately,” press spokeswoman Tine Nehler told the Südddeutsche Zeitung. The picture was taken down and, Nehler suspects, returned to its creator.
The Pinakothek der Moderne is a modern art museum, situated in central Munich’s Kunstareal. Designed by Stephen Braunfels, it opened its doors to visitors in 2002.
The Museum is thus divided into Kunst, or Art; Design; Architektur, or Architecture; and Graphik, or Works on Paper. An unusual feature of the museum is its first-floor illumination. The floor, which holds the Kunst display, has ample natural light from above. The natural light is augmented by a computer-controlled lighting system designed to keep a consistent, nearly shadowless illumination against the gray floors and white walls.
In a statement provided to Frequent Business Traveler and The Travelist, the Pinakothek der Moderne said that the wannabe artist was terminated and that police were investigating the case, which only relates to minor damage to the wall caused by two screws used to mount the piece.
Meanwhile, the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn had an entirely different reaction to its unacquisitioned work. That artwork was only observed when the exhibition it was added to was dismantled. The museum has since asked the artist to get in touch.
“We think this is funny and would like to get to know the artist,” the Kunsthalle said in a social media post. “So get in touch! There will be no trouble. Word of honor.”
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
