The K Foundation Had This Idea First
Written by Alyx on February 27th, 2007 in culture.
From Norway:
OSLO, Norway (AP) - The thieves might not have known much about art, but they apparently knew what they liked: cash.
Norwegian artist Jan Christensen created a work he called “Relative Value” by pasting bills worth 100,000 kroner, about US$16,300, on a sprawling 2-by-4 metre canvas. The artwork displayed at the MGM Galleri in Oslo drew national media attention, partly because Christensen used real money, out of his own pocket. It also caught the eye of thieves, who smashed a window into the gallery late Sunday and made off with the cash-laden canvas, police said.
“That was a pretty dramatic incident,” the artist was quoted as telling the Norwegian news agency NTB. “We were afraid of something like this. The picture was insured and the gallery was equipped with an alarm.”
According to Christensen, the work had been sold to Norwegian art collectors, and the gallery exhibition was scheduled to end on Monday. He said he has not decided whether to make a new version.
