Kunsten Museum of Art in Aalborg (Denmark) paid the master of conceptualism Jens Haaning 532 thousand kroner (more than $ 76 thousand) for inserted in the frames of empty canvases. This is reported by The Guardian.
The Museum allocated the artist funds to recreate two of his early works. The works used dozens of banknotes to represent average income. The 2007 work, “Average Annual Income in Denmark,” used kroner banknotes attached to a framed canvas, while the second work from 2011, about income in Austria, used euro notes.
The amount the museum gave to the artist also included his fee – about 40,000 kroner (almost $ 6,000).
When the works were delivered to the museum, unpacking them, the staff saw two empty frames with the inscription: “Take the money and run”. The works were exhibited in the museum, but the author was asked to return the allocated half a million crowns. After he refused, the museum went to court, which ordered Haaning to return the full amount to the museum.
“This is not theft. It’s a breach of contract, and breach of contract is part of the job,” the artist explained his position to Danish radio.
In addition, anyone who has the same “terrible working conditions” as he personally does, who is practically asked to pay money to go to work, he urged to do the same – to “grab whatever you can.”
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