He Broke the Art - and Fixed the Museum

Seven months ago, I wrote that one of the most in-demand jobs in the art world would be the 👨‍🎤 Viral Vandal — a highly specialised role for a gallery, curator or artist where someone “vandalises” an artwork or space… but only according to a carefully pre-approved plan.

And now, apparently, reality is catching up.

Basically, this is just another reminder:
If you want people to talk about your museum or your artwork, you need a scandal.
That’s when the media goes crazy.
That’s when people start Googling the artist.
That’s when interest in both the artwork and the institution suddenly explodes.
And honestly, it’s not only a win for the museum.

It’s a huge opportunity for the vandal too.

Once you go viral, you can start testing the limits of everything inside the museum.
Okay, maybe not the artworks.
Maybe.
But everything else?
Absolutely.

Including, perhaps, the face of the person who wrote the press release saying:
“They ignored every rule of respect for art and cultural heritage.”

In any profession, what matters most is the sincerity and love you put into it.
Watch the video again - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnweJ-xUkZM

You can really see how much the vandal cares.
It’s beautiful.
Sadly, it probably won’t end that beautifully for them.

But here’s the uncomfortable part:
this one person may have done more for the artwork than the artwork managed to do for itself.

I have to admit something.
I didn’t even know this artwork existed.
Yeah, you can say I’m kinda dumb.
Fair.
But then let’s check Google Trends and see whether I’m the only one.

And, well…apparently not.

Nicola Bolla’s Van Gogh chair — covered in thousands of Swarovski crystals and inspired by Van Gogh’s famous 1888 chair painting — suddenly became very interesting to a lot more people.

Because someone sat on it.
And broke it.
Which is, unfortunately, a very effective marketing strategy.

Now that I know the artwork exists, I’m not completely sure we should destroy this person’s life — or their apparent deep love of art — just because they destroyed a piece of it.

Especially when, at the same time, they created massive interest in it.
Maybe that’s the final lesson here:

Museums spend years trying to build attention.
PR teams write press releases.
Curators organise exhibitions.
Artists spend months or years making work.
And sometimes…
one idiot sitting in the wrong chair does a better job than all of them.

...your worst artist and best friend,

hEhe and my contemporary art criticism

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