An employee at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich, Germany, has been terminated from the museum’s installation team after secretly hanging his own artwork on the gallery walls after hours on February 23.
The 51-year-old freelance artist, whose identity remains undisclosed, faces investigation by local police for alleged “property damage.” The artist drilled two holes into the wall to exhibit his painting, reportedly in pursuit of an artistic breakthrough, according to authorities cited by German news outlet Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Reportedly, the former employee exploited his access to the museum to smuggle in and display his artwork without detection. The painting, approximately 23 by 47 inches in size, was placed in the museum’s modern and contemporary art section, sharing space with Warhol pieces for approximately eight hours before discovery.
While details regarding the content of the artwork remain undisclosed by the museum, it has refrained from providing further comment on the incident to deter potential imitators. A spokesperson for the museum, responding to inquiries from the Guardian, emphasized the lack of positive feedback from gallery visitors regarding the unauthorized addition.
Comparisons have been drawn to Banksy, a renowned street artist known for similar unauthorized stunts in various museums. Notably, Banksy once installed his version of the Mona Lisa, featuring an acid smiley-face, at the Louvre in Paris in 2004, later auctioning it for tens of thousands of pounds.
While both Banksy and the former Pinakothek employee remain anonymous to the press, the incident has sparked debate over the boundaries between artistic expression and institutional protocols. Despite the termination and potential legal consequences, the incident has raised questions about the motivations and consequences of such actions within the art world.
