genkitten

thedailywhat:

Whoopsie Daisy of the Day: A sculpture by German artist Martin Kippenberger valued at over $1 million was damaged last week when a cleaning woman at Dortmund’s Ostwall museum scrubbed away a part of it that was intentionally made to look dirty.

“When It Starts Dripping From The Ceiling,” on loan to the museum from a private collection, contained a rubber trough with patina meant to represent dried rainwater.

According to a museum spokeswoman, the cleaning crew had been instructed to keep a distance of at least eight inches from the artwork at all times. It remained unclear why the woman thought to touch Kippenberger’s piece.

The sculpture’s owner and the museum have decided to leave the art as-is for the time being while insurance adjusters reassess its value.

Similar incidents have occurred in the past. A valuable “grease stain” by artist Joseph Beuys was mopped up at Düsseldorf’s Academy of Fine Arts in 1986. More recently, in 2004, a custodian at Tate Britain accidentally tossed a part of Gustav Metzger’s artwork in the trash.

[bbc / guardian / wapo.]

More recently, in 2004, a custodian at Tate Britain accidentally tossed a part of Gustav Metzger’s artwork in the trash.

in the trash.