It’s been awhile since we’ve had a WTF is going on in the bonkers world of fine art? story, so please enjoy this installment that comes to us from the Netherlands. The LAM Museum in Lisse, a town near Amsterdam, aims to “reveal the extraordinary in the ordinary” through its international collection of works that all have something to do with food, beverage, or shopping. A current example is “All the good times we spent together,” by French artist Alexandre Lavet. The piece consists of two empty, dented cans that Lavet painted over with Belgian beer brand Jupiler’s signature label. Oh, and another feature of LAM is that they exhibit works in unexpected places. So guess what happened when a fill-in elevator technician stumbled upon two very real-looking beer cans left in the elevator? Yup, he trashed the cans. Don’t worry, they were later recovered, cleaned, and put on a more obvious/conventional display. CNN reported on this breaking art-trash news:
A lift technician at a museum in the Netherlands mistakenly threw away a piece of artwork made to look like two empty beer cans.
“All the good times we spent together” by French artist Alexandre Lavet may look like it belongs in a trash can at first glance, but closer inspection reveals it is in fact “meticulously hand-painted with acrylics, with each detail painstakingly replicated,” the LAM Museum said in a statement earlier this month.
“For the artist, the cans symbolise cherished memories shared with dear friends,” added the statement from the museum, which is based in the town of Lisse, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Amsterdam.
“While evenings spent enjoying drinks may seem trivial in the grand scheme of things, they ultimately embody precious moments of connection.”
The worker, who the museum said was covering for the regular technician, could perhaps be forgiven their error given the fact that the beer cans were displayed in a glass lift shaft, as though they were left behind by construction workers.
The artwork’s placement was part of the museum’s trademark of displaying pieces in what it calls “unconventional locations.”
“The theme of our collection is food and consumption,” said Sietske van Zanten, the museum’s director, in the October 1 statement, which did not specify exactly when the mishap took place.
“Our art encourages visitors to see everyday objects in a new light. By displaying artworks in unexpected places, we amplify this experience and keep visitors on their toes.”
The museum underlined that it “bears no ill will” towards the technician.
“He was just doing his job in good faith”, said van Zanten. “In a way, it’s a testament to the effectiveness of Alexandre Lavet’s art.”
The cans were later recovered from a trash bag, with both still intact. They were cleaned and then displayed on a traditional plinth at the museum entrance, according to the statement.
“We wanted to give them their moment in the spotlight,” said curator Elisah van den Bergh in the statement, who hasn’t decided where the work will be displayed next.
“We enjoy surprising our visitors, so no space is off-limits,” she said.
“We enjoy surprising our visitors, so no space is off limits.” Ok LAM Museum, you’ve left me no other option but to triple dog dare you, in light of these events, to make an actual trash bag the next site for one of your works of art. It’s the only logical next step! Merde. I was lucky enough to see the incomparable Lily Tomlin perform The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe live on stage (it was also the night I realized I needed glasses, but that’s another story), and this episode reminds of Lily’s running gag in the show of how she’s trying to explain to her alien friends the difference between a can of soup (Campbell’s) and Art (Andy Warhol). Does Lavet do an excellent rendition of the Jupiler label, that is indeed a real European beer? Oui. Do I still think it seems more like an art class exercise than museum-worthy piece? Mais oui. What I wouldn’t give to hear the technician’s candid thoughts. Though I must confess that unlike the museum, I do bear some ill will towards him, for a very simple reason: he put the cans in a trash bag instead of the recycling bin.
