German Art Museum Fires Worker For Hanging His Own Painting in Gallery

Staff member puts his work on display at Munich’s Pinakothek der Moderne ‘in hope of achieving his breakthrough’

German art museum dismisses staff member for exhibiting personal artwork in gallery Employee showcases his own piece at Munich’s Pinakothek der Moderne ‘hoping for breakthrough’

According to a saying often – albeit incorrectly – attributed to the artist Andy Warhol, everyone will experience their 15 minutes of fame. At Munich’s Pinakothek der Moderne museum earlier this year, a technician and aspiring artist had the opportunity to revel in the spotlight for a full eight hours.

Confirming on Tuesday, the museum in southern Germany stated that it had terminated the employment of a member of its technical services team after discovering that he had hung one of his own paintings in an area of the gallery dedicated to modern and contemporary art, allowing him to coexist with works by pop art pioneer Warhol for an entire day.

The 51-year-old individual had surreptitiously introduced his work into the exhibit at Munich’s Pinakothek der Moderne “in the hope of achieving his artistic breakthrough”, as reported by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, citing police sources.

“The staff member views himself as an artist and most likely considered his position in the museum’s installation team as a means to support his true passion,” a spokesperson for the Pinakothek told the Guardian.

In his capacity at the museum, the individual had after-hours access to the gallery space, thus evading the notice of security personnel when affixing his 60cm by 120cm artwork to a vacant white wall in a passageway on the first floor of the eastern wing’s gallery.

The occurrence on 23 February remained undisclosed until Monday. A spokesperson for the Pinakothek revealed that the painting had been affixed in the early hours and was promptly discovered by staff following the museum’s opening on the same day.

“The decision was taken to leave the painting on display during gallery hours and remove it after closing at 6pm,” the spokesperson added.

The Pinakothek declined to comment on the painting’s content or style, citing concerns that such action could “encourage imitators”. “I can only say that we received no favorable feedback regarding the addition from gallery visitors,” the spokesperson remarked.

The gallery announced the termination of the contract of a technical service team member and imposed a ban on his entry into its premises.

Law enforcement is investigating the aspiring contemporary artist for a relatively minor violation: he purportedly drilled two holes into the gallery wall in order to hang his painting, prompting the museum to lodge a criminal complaint for willful property damage.

Situated in Munich’s Kunstareal museum quarter, the Pinakothek der Moderne is segregated into art, architecture, design, and works on paper from the 20th and 21st centuries. Its permanent collection boasts over 20,000 pieces, including artworks by Pablo Picasso, Max Beckmann, and Paul Klee.