No raise for you Fraulien !

[tombogan03884]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/million-dollar-mistake-german-museum-204133529.html

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.

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.

[PegLeg45]

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.

That reminds me, I need to get my chainsaw back from the neighbor.

[Solus]

Great plot for a Columbo episode.

Rich collector loans an expensive piece of art to a museum, pays cleaning lady to swap the original bowl for a cleaned one of the same manufacture and return it to him.

The piece has been authenticated on entry to the museum and is now an insurance claim for the collector. 

The plot thickens when the cleaning lady is found dead in an apparent suicide with the note indicating she was driven to it by guilt and worry over her mistake.

 

[tombogan03884]

Great plot for a Columbo episode.

Rich collector loans an expensive piece of art to a museum, pays cleaning lady to swap the original bowl for a cleaned one of the same manufacture and return it to him.

The piece has been authenticated on entry to the museum and is now an insurance claim for the collector. 

The plot thickens when the cleaning lady is found dead in an apparent suicide with the note indicating she was driven to it by guilt and worry over her mistake.

 

You've got the outline for a novel right there. 

[mortdooley]

 You had me until I clicked on the link to see the picture. Four two by twos and a plastic bowl do not equal a million dollars, insurance claim denied. They should thank the cleaner for not trying to tidy up the area and throw the whole thing away.

[Sponsor]

[Pathfinder]

You had me until I clicked on the link to see the picture. Four two by twos and a plastic bowl do not equal a million dollars, insurance claim denied. They should thank the cleaner for not trying to tidy up the area and throw the whole thing away.

You Philistine!!!     You clearly do not understand art. Or is it "art"?

In college, I worked part time hanging "art" in the school's art museum. Besides the fact that the curator was a flamer (lavender wallet and all), he did not consider anything before Jackson Pollack as art, and Jackson was borderline. Some of the stuff that passed for "art" was truly amazing, made more so by the price tags on them.

Examples:

A large slab of aluminum, 2 foot square, with extruded aluminum channels on top, with 4 spotlights suspended over it about 18" above the slab. That's it. Oh, the slab was wheel turned, so there was a pattern of 1" circles on the surface.

A model of a bedroom, about 15" square, roughly 1/20th scale, spare, bed, dresser, door and window, but complete with handmade resin anatomically correct man and woman lying on the bed. Again, that was it. Oh, it was covered with Plexiglas, I guess to keep the pervs from fondling one or the other figures.

One display we were not allowed by the artist to hang, he had to do it himself. We discovered why. He came in after everything else was set up, sprayed gray flocking on our gray burlap walls (10' panels), and then hung a randomly bent and twisted neon tube, overall probably 1-12' long, over the flocking. Plugged it in. Done. That was it. Oh, yeah, he ruined the 2 panels he covered with flocking, never did find out how much it cost to repair/replace them.

Sadly, the museum had works by some of the Masters, Medieval triptychs, a couple of Egyptian mummies or their sarcophagi at least, Japanese sword sets, all kept in storage collecting dust while we set out this crap for people to feel "privileged to see - and buy.

[Solus]

You had me until I clicked on the link to see the picture. Four two by twos and a plastic bowl do not equal a million dollars, insurance claim denied. They should thank the cleaner for not trying to tidy up the area and throw the whole thing away.

It's more than 4 2x4s.   Click on the photo to see two additional views.  There is a trellis like structure built above...sort of like a kid what a kid might make gluing together Popsicle sticks.

[fightingquaker13]

You Philistine!!!     You clearly do not understand art. Or is it "art"?

In college, I worked part time hanging "art" in the school's art museum. Besides the fact that the curator was a flamer (lavender wallet and all), he did not consider anything before Jackson Pollack as art, and Jackson was borderline. Some of the stuff that passed for "art" was truly amazing, made more so by the price tags on them.
Sadly, the museum had works by some of the Masters, Medieval triptychs, a couple of Egyptian mummies or their sarcophagi at least, Japanese sword sets, all kept in storage collecting dust while we set out this crap for people to feel "privileged to see - and buy.

You might be selling the curator short. Its not like he could sell off the Old Masters. But, if he could exhibit a bunch of trendy crap that no thinking person would want in permanent collection, and score nice commisions for the museum? You might just have your answer to why he had the job.
FQ13

[TAB]

thats not art.

[tt11758]

thats not art.

I know Art.  Art is a friend of mine........................