Whitehot Magazine

A Danish museum lent an artist $84,000 for his work. He kept the cash and named the art ‘Take the Money and Run.’

 The Kunsten Museum of Modern Art in Denmark gave artist Jens Haaning a half-million kroner to use to re-create two of his older pieces that were made with cash. (Google Street View), courtesy of the Washington Post

 

By NOAH BECKER September, 2021

A friend forwarded me an article from the Washington Post about an artist who was lent $84,000 by a museum for his work. Thought it was hilarious, so I'm sharing it with you.

Apparently the artist kept the cash and turned the act of keeping the cash into a conceptual work.

The Washington Post article reads: 

When the staff at Kunsten Museum of Modern Art in ​​northern Denmark opened boxes last week from artist Jens Haaning, they expected to see pieces featuring the half-million kroner they lent him for the works of art, the director told a Danish radio show host.

Instead, the museum — which had commissioned Haaning to re-create two of his older pieces that were made with cash — found two empty frames.

The new name for the artwork: “Take the Money and Run.”

Now, the museum in ​​Aalborg, Denmark, is accusing him of breaking their legal agreement and demanding the artist return the 534,000 kroner, the equivalent of over $84,000. 

Read the complete article in the Washington Post WM

 

Noah Becker

Noah Becker is an artist and the publisher and founding editor of Whitehot Magazine. He shows his paintings internationally at museums and galleries. Becker also plays jazz saxophone. Becker's writing has appeared in The Guardian, VICE, Garage, Art in America, Interview Magazine, Canadian Art and the Huffington Post. He has written texts for major artist monographs published by Rizzoli and Hatje Cantz. Becker directed the New York art documentary New York is Now (2010). Becker's new album of original music "Mode For Noah" was released in 2023. 

 

Links:
Noah Becker on Instagram

Noah Becker Paintings

Noah Becker Music

Email: noah@whitehotmagazine.com

view all articles from this author