Preview visitors attend Neo Rauch’s exhibition “Begleiter” at the Pinakothek der Moderne art museum in Munich, Germany, April 19, 2010.
Johannes Simon/Getty Images
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Johannes Simon/Getty Images
Preview visitors attend Neo Rauch’s exhibition “Begleiter” at the Pinakothek der Moderne art museum in Munich, Germany, April 19, 2010.
Johannes Simon/Getty Images
An employee of a Munich art museum has been fired for adding one of his own drawings to the collection without permission. The incident happened in February and was just revealed this week.
The Pinakothek der Moderne features works by Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Nam June Paik and Max Ernst, among others. The uninvited artist is not named in the reports; conservatives want to discourage others from trying the same thing. Unless of course it’s Banksy. We only know that the malicious artwork measured 23 inches by 47 inches.
Museums and galleries have limited space and budgets and often exhibit what they know people want to see. This may mainly involve hanging works by already known artists.
“Sometimes it feels like the same 25 artists are always on display in museums,” Clara Lieu, a former professor at the Rhode Island School of Design and founder of the art education site Art Prof, told us. “I had a little laugh when I saw this story,” she added. “This is an exposure opportunity I never thought of.”
But she says she hopes other artists don’t follow with their own unauthorized wall hangings.
“I hope that all artists will respect what museums are doing and resist this temptation,” she said. “Today, the vast majority of time we look at art is on a phone. This makes museums even more important, to create experiences where we can interact more deeply with art. But all Artists have a fundamental desire for their works to be seen.”
I wonder if museums and galleries might consider hosting Open Wall nights, like comedy clubs host Open Mic nights. Allow people who paint, sculpt, knit, spray paint, or make collages to put their work on a real wall or museum pedestal overnight, with permission.
Most of the dozens or hundreds of artworks on display might make people say, “Hmm! » and moves forward. But a few might be extraordinary and cause them to linger in amazement. Perhaps one or two of the artists could become another Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo or Jean-Michel Basquiat.
An Open Wall evening could open a window through which more artists could be seen. And also remind us that creating something with the power to charm, dazzle or captivate is not as simple as simply hanging a work of art on a wall.
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