A famous and controversial Spanish artist once said, “Art always questions itself.” According to this definition, Everyone who rebels against the market and museographic demands can be assessed as an artist. But this is not always the case. If not, just ask our friend Jens Haaning. We talked about it before in XatakaHe had to create conceptual art with money that a museum loaned him. What he did was deliver two blank canvases.

In the end, he had to pay for his mistakes.

Some context. In 2021, the Kunsten Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg, Denmark, gave Haaning 534,000 kroner (76,000 euros) to create updated versions of two previous works. Specifically, frames filled with banknotes representing the average annual salaries of an Austrian and a Dane for an exhibition on the future of work. Instead, the artist He sent two blank canvases to the museum titled ‘Take the money and run’He said he created new and “better” pieces that fit the theme of the exhibition.

The conceptual artist said the work was a criticism of low wages. Breach of contract was part of the deal“I don’t see me stealing money… I created a piece of art that’s maybe 10 or 100 times better than we planned. What’s the problem?”

still standing. As expected, the museum tried to bring him to justice. After almost two years of litigation, the Copenhagen court decided that the artist should return all the moneyWhatever the purpose of the pieces, the Copenhagen Municipal Court found the work to be “inadequate” when compared to what was stated in its contract with the Kunsten Museum, as it had agreed to deliver two different pieces.

The ruling also dismissed a countersuit filed by Haaning, who claimed the museum owned the property. had violated the copyright of the workIt therefore ruled against the artist, finding that he was “obligated” to return the borrowed money (excluding $5,730 as exhibition fees) and pay the costs of the judicial procedure.

Fighting fraud or precariousness? The artist has always maintained that it cost him 25,000 kronor (more than 3,000 euros) to recreate the works, so he decided to send in two blank canvases. And he said his action was not theft: “I encourage other people to do the same. such terrible working conditions “Like mine does the same thing. If they’ve got a crappy job and they’re not getting paid, and they’re asking them to invest money in it, then they should get whatever they can get.”

The museum even displays a printout of an email explaining Haaning’s actions alongside blank canvases. They argued that they never violated their part of the agreement. The museum director said they are known for respecting contracts and paying artists reasonable wages, adding, “We are not a rich museum. We have to think carefully about how we spend our funds and not spend more than we can afford.”

A dubious art movement. A little over a century ago, Marcel Duchamp He pushed the boundaries of what could be considered art when he took the urinal, turned it 90 degrees, signed it with the pseudonym “R. Mutt” and submitted it to the Society of Independent Artists’ inaugural exhibition in New York. Conceptual art continues to collect water Some art critics and intellectuals around the world take issue with this idea, but many museums embrace and praise such works as original and subversive.

Haaning’s blank canvases are part of a controversial genre of works that question the value of art. Maurizio Cattelan sticks bananas to the wall And Banksy crushes painting at an auction. In 1958, conceptual artist Yves Klein exhibited an empty room in front of thousands of people. Going further, Spanish artist Karmelo Bermejo He buried the 10 thousand euros he received from public aid in the street.

On Xataka | It’s OK to dislike concept art. But that doesn’t mean it’s more “art” than realistic

*A previous version of this article was published in September 2023.