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Monday April 29, 2024

Worker at art museum gets fired for hanging his own painting secretly

Pinakothek der Moderne museum fires and permanently bans employee for secretly hanging his own paintings

By Web Desk
April 12, 2024
The Pinakothek der Moderne at Munich in Germany. — Muenchen/File
The Pinakothek der Moderne at Munich in Germany. — Muenchen/File

A worker at a German art museum with aspirations to become an artist himself was fired and got banned from the museum for hanging his own painting secretly, hoping to achieve an "artistic breakthrough," India Today reported.

The 51-year-old man was part of the technical services team at Munich's prestigious Pinakothek der Moderne museum.

His painting which measures 23x47 inches was hung by drilling two holes into an empty passageway.

Upon discovering the painting, the worker was fired along with being permanently banned from the gallery, which is one of the largest featuring modern art in Europe.

Despite his illegal attempt, the museum authorities decided to display it for one day.

The museum authorities declined to comment on the painting's subject or style in order to avoid encouraging "copycat pranksters".

A spokesperson for Pinakothek told the Guardian that “the employee considers himself an artist and most likely saw his role in the museum’s installation team as a day-job to support his true calling.”

The Pinakothek der Moderne houses art pieces by famous artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Henri Matisse.

A similar case was reported last November when an artist smuggled her painting into an exhibition at the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn, Germany. Her attempt proved successful as the museum praised her artwork which was later auctioned off with proceeds going to charity.