by A thief who stole priceless paintings from a museum in Rotterdam has been praised for his audacity, verve and clever use of light.
Respected critic Hugo Bennings believes the break-in gives a rare insight into the mind of the art thief, and directly challenges the perception of how well these things were nailed to the wall.
“When we spend time looking at the space where once art has hung, we see a reflection of the thief’s inner intent”, claimed Bennings.
“Judging by the sheer scale of this particular art uninstallation, he‘s intent on buying himself a massive house, or a yacht.”
Art thief
Bennings believes it’s not so much what the artist has painted, but what he didn’t paint, that the public must look for. “In this work, the complete lack of paint, canvas or a frame means there’s an awful lot to look for”, he insisted.
“That’s a view I happen to share with the police.”
The exhibition, unofficially labelled ‘Oligarch’s Fancy’, has split the art world on the question of ‘what is art?’
“I know what art is, and this isn’t it”, complained art sceptic Harry Noble,
“It’s just four little bent hooks on a wall.”
Having dismissed the unauthorised entry as ‘highly derivative’, Noble still believes that some copy-cat art can have value.
“Despite the popular nature of these four missing paintings, the thief obviously felt that they had some primitive value”, he mused.
“And so do the public, judging by how much the ‘wanted’ posters are going for on eBay.”
