An art display that looks like two empty beer cans on the ground was accidentally knocked over by a mechanic who thought the cans were actually trash.
From afar, the exhibition ‘All the good times we had together’ by French artist Alexandre Lavet looks like ordinary beer cans.
You have to look closer to realize that these cans are hand-painted aluminum pieces that took a surprising amount of time, energy and detail to create.
But one unsuspecting mechanic working at the LAM museum in Lisse, Netherlands, didn’t suspect that the ultra-realistic crushed cans needed further analysis.
So when he picked them up from the elevator floor and threw them in the trash, he thought he was doing a good deed and helping keep the museum clean.
The exhibition ‘All the good times we had together’ at the LAM museum was mistaken for garbage
French artist Alexandre Lavet created realistic beer cans.
Later, curator Elisah van den Bergh recovered the exhibition moments before the disaster: they were about to take out the trash.
“We have now placed the work in a more traditional location, on a pedestal, so that it can rest after its adventure,” said museum spokesman Froukje Budding. the guardian.
He also said that works of art are often displayed in unconventional locations around the museum to “wow” visitors. The cans will probably be relocated several times.
LAM director Sietske van Zanten told The Guardian: “By displaying artworks in unexpected places, we amplify this experience and keep visitors on their toes.”
Lavet cans have been displayed in museums in the Netherlands and Berlin.
The artwork was eventually saved and emerged unscathed from the confusion. The mechanic suffered a similar fate.
Budding said there were “no hard feelings” towards the newly hired staff member.
“He was just doing his job,” she said.
Lavet’s ‘All the good times we had together’ exhibition was born in 2016, according to his online portfolio.
The LAM frequently places their artwork in different locations to keep their guests intrigued, but you should rethink where you place these cans.
The website says: ‘These paintings are a tribute to the streets of Brussels, artists’ studios, friends’ flats, parties, exhibition openings in galleries and artist-run spaces, and to this common and familiar object that unites people and friends.
“This packaging design coincides with the artist’s arrival in Brussels, where he met new friends between 2013 and 2016. The image on the can was redesigned in 2017 and valuable friendships have been established since then.”
The minimalist artist has shared variations of this exhibition in museums in the Netherlands and Berlin.
His beer can display is not the first work of art to be thoughtlessly mistreated or misunderstood.
The LAM museum, located in Lisse, Netherlands
Last year, a South Korean art student in need of a snack ate a banana taped to the wall of Seoul’s Leeum Art Museum.
This oddly placed piece of fruit was actually part of a display created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan.
After the student finished eating, he made sure to tape the banana peel to the same spot on the wall where he took it.
