Artist ordered to repay Danish museum $70K (P4M) after submitting blank canvases titled 'Take the Money and Run'
Jens Haaning, a Danish conceptual artist who submitted a blank artwork titled “Take the Money and Run” has now been ordered by the court to repay the museum over $70,000 (almost P4 million), a part of the amount that was paid to him for the commission in 2021.
"I am shocked, but at the same time, it is exactly what I have imagined," Haaning said in an interview with local media upon knowing the court’s rule on Monday, Sept. 18.
"It has been good for my work, but it also puts me in an unmanageable situation where I don't really know what to do."
Detailing the event, Haaning was asked by the Kunsten Museum in Denmark to recreate his 2007 and 2011 artworks which were supposed to consist of cash on display, as per a BBC report. It was meant to represent the average salaries of the Danish and Austrian workforce respectively, which has a combined value of $84,000 (nearly P5 million).
However, he decided to turn in new artworks instead, titled “Take the Money and Run,” which were just two squeaky clean canvases, and pocketed the money that was given to him.
Museum director Lasse Andersson shared in a previous interview with BBC that he first found it hilarious when he saw the two blank canvases. Nonetheless, he still decided to display it.
"He stirred up my curatorial staff and he also stirred me up a bit, but I also had a laugh because it was really humoristic," he said.
However, he still expected that Haaning would return the money in January 2022 as per their agreement. The amount that was supposed to be returned was 492,549 Danish kroner or over $70,000 (nearly P5 million), this excludes his artist’s fee and the cost of mounting.
Haaning refused and kept the money, saying that it was a protest against low wages.
"The work is that I have taken their money," he told in an interview with a Danish radio, as reported by The Guardian.
"It's not theft. It is breach of contract, and breach of contract is part of the work,” he continued, saying that recreating his artworks would require him to spend much money out of his own pocket.
“I encourage other people who have working conditions as miserable as mine to do the same. If they’re sitting in some sh--ty job and not getting paid, and are actually being asked to pay money to go to work, then grab what you can and beat it,” he added.
For their part, Andersson said that they are “not a wealthy museum" as that their funds came from “modest reserves.”
“We have to think carefully about how we spend our funds, and we don’t spend more than we can afford,” he said.
Because Haaning stood firm in not refunding the money, the museum pressed charges against him. On Monday, Sept. 18, a court in Copenhagen ordered the artist to refund the amount, while also allowing him to keep the artist's fee.
