The man is under investigation for damage to property, cops said. (Representative pic)
A modern art gallery in Germany fired an employee after discovering the artist had hung his own work in an exhibition. According to the BBC, the 51-year-old, whose identity hasn't been revealed, hung his work at Munich's Pinakothek der Moderne, where he was employed as part of the technical team. He reportedly pulled the stunt in the hope of achieving his artistic breakthrough. His art piece measured 23 inches by 47 inches and was put on display in an empty passageway for a short amount of time.
"The supervisors notice something like this immediately," Tine Nehler told a German newspaper, adding the piece was returned to the artist. The BBC reported that the man was an employee of the gallery's technical services team and described himself as a freelance artist.
Once the gallery staff discovered what happened, the man was fired and banned from attending the gallery, one of the largest in Europe, featuring work by Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, and Salvador Dali among others.
This incident also caught the attention of police, who told CNN that the 51-year-old was under investigation for damage to property. "We have of course initiated criminal charges. This means that the public prosecutor's office will now decide what happens," Christian Drexler, chief superintendent of the Munich Police, said. "But it's up to the judiciary to decide in each individual case," he added.
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Meanwhile, this is not the first time an additional painting has been found at a gallery in Germany. According to the outlet, a few months ago a similar incident happened in the German city of Bonn. Staff were packing up an exhibition at the Bundeskunsthalle when they discovered that an extra painting had been put on display by a member of the public.
"We think it's funny and we want to get to know the artist. So get in touch! There's no trouble. Word of honour," the gallery posted on X. The artist, identified as Danai Emmanouilidis, did get in touch to reveal the painting was hers. She said she had always wanted one of her works to feature in a prominent gallery.
"I smuggled it in with a giant hoodie over my leggings," she told local public broadcaster WDR. Ms Emmanouilidis's portrait, entitled Georgia, was later auctioned by the gallery and the proceeds were given to an art charity called ArtAsyl in Cologne.