In a mix-up that could only happen in the art world, the LAM museum in Lisse, Netherlands, found itself digging through a trash bin to retrieve an artwork mistakenly discarded as rubbish. The piece in question? Two dented beer cans—All The Good Times We Spent Together by French artist Alexandre Lavet.
The installation, placed subtly on the floor of the museum’s lift, was intended to look as though a couple of construction workers had left behind their beverages mid-job. Yet the carefully crafted illusion proved a little too convincing for a diligent lift technician, who, unaware of the artwork’s nature, tossed the cans in the bin.
What sets this piece apart from the detritus of daily life is its painstaking attention to detail. Far from actual discarded cans, Lavet’s work was meticulously hand-painted in acrylics to resemble a perfect replica of forgotten trash—highlighting the often invisible line between art and refuse.
Once the cans were noticed missing, the museum’s curatorial team quickly launched a search, resulting in the eventual discovery of the artwork in a bin bag. Miraculously, the delicate cans emerged unscathed. After a quick clean-up, they were given pride of place at the museum’s entrance.
Despite the amusing misstep, the museum holds no grudge against the technician, who was filling in for someone more familiar with the building’s unconventional displays. “The theme of our collection is food and consumption,” said Sietske van Zanten, the museum’s director. “Our art asks visitors to reconsider everyday objects, and placing these pieces in unexpected locations only heightens that experience. It keeps people on their toes.”
In a way, the incident underscores the very essence of Lavet’s work: questioning the boundary between what we discard and what we hold up for admiration. Even if, for a brief moment, art was quite literally taken out with the trash.
