Art or trash? Dutch museum worker accidently throws artwork in bin

“This is rubbish.”

Ever had that thought when gazing at a piece of modern art?

Well, a staff member at a Dutch museum certainly did. It wasn’t an artistic appreciation, mind you. The worker just thought that the artwork was literally rubbish.

Indeed, the Lisser Art Museum (LAM) in the town of Lisse, Netherlands, found an artwork that looks like a pair of empty beer cans in the bin after one of their lift technicians mistook the “meticulously hand-painted” cans for trash.

The two painted beer cans, created by French artist Alexandre Lavet in the 1980s, were on display in a glass lift of the LAM when the member of staff assumed they’d been left there by lazy visitors with no museum etiquette to speak of.

Little did he know that he had just thrown away a piece called ‘All The Good Times We Spent Together’, one that “required a lot of time and effort to create,” according to the museum.

According to the artist’s website, these paintings are “a tribute to Brussels streets, artists’ studios, friends’ flats, parties, exhibition openings at galleries and artist-run spaces, and to this common and familiar object who brings people and friends together.”

When curator Elisah van den Bergh noticed the artwork was missing, a search was initiated, and the cans were found in a bin bag in the nick of time – as the bags were ready for disposal.

The beer cans were cleaned and placed at the museum entrance to “give them their moment in the spotlight,” Elisah van den Bergh shared with AFP.

The museum has stressed that there is “no ill will” towards the technician, saying “he was just doing his job in good faith”.

Sietske van Zanten, the director of LAM museum, said the incident was “in a way a testament to the effectiveness of Alexandre Lavet’s art”.

“The theme of our collection is food and consumption,” added van Zanten. “Our art encourages visitors to see everyday objects in a new light. By displaying artworks in unexpected places, we amplify this experience and we try to surprise the visitor all the time.”

Mission accomplished. And beer cans saved from the trash can.

Additional sources • AFP, alexandrelavet.fr