Jens Haaning was asked by the Kunsten Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg, Denmark to recreate two of his previous works: 2010's "An Average Danish Annual Income" and "An Average Austrian Annual Income," first exhibited in 2007.
Both used actual cash to show the average incomes of the two countries, according to a news release from the artist.
In addition to compensation for the work, Haaning was also given bank notes to use in the work.
“…when the museum in Aalborg opened the box that Haaning had shipped, the cash was missing from the two glass frames and the artwork’s title had been changed.
“The work of art is that I took their money,” Haaning told broadcaster DR.
Kunsten wants Haaning to return the cash, but he’s declining. The museum is now considering whether to report Haaning to the police if he hasn’t returned the cash by the time the exhibition ends in January.”
The museum says they received an email from Haaning stating that he had made a new piece of art work and changed the work title into 'Take the Money and Run.'"
The museum curator admits that he laughed when he saw the works and the title.
According to Haaning's press release:
"the idea behind was to show how salaries can be used to measure the value of work and to show national differences within the European Union.
But by changing the title of the work to "Take the Money and Run" Haaning "questions artists' rights and their working conditions in order to establish more equitable norms within the art industry.
Everyone would like to have more money and, in our society, work industries are valued differently.
The artwork is essentially about the working conditions of artists. It is a statement saying that we also have the responsibility of questioning the structures that we are part of. And if these structures are completely unreasonable, we must break with them. It can be your marriage, your work - it can be any type of societal structure".