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Dutch Museum Mistakes Dented Beer Can Artwork for Trash, Recovers It in Bin Search

An eccentric artwork at the Dutch Museum was discarded in the trash bin, with staff mistaking it as "leftover rubbish."

The artwork, in question, is a two-dented empty beer cans sitting on the display. Staff initially thought it was left by construction workers, but if looked at closely, it's actually "meticulously painted" with acrylics, by hand.

According to BBC, the artwork was dumped by a lift technician, thinking it was a mess, and threw it in a bin. It was until the curator found it missing from its display and staff were tasked to look for it. Fortunately, the two dented beer cans were inside a bin bag, which kept it intact.

Now, the beer can artwork is back for display, this time, at the museum entrance.

The Guardian shared that the Dutch Museum bore no ill will against the lift technician who dumped the two dented beer cans.

All the Good Times We Spent Together
The artwork All the Good Times We Spent Together by artist Alexandre Lavet, which looks like two crushed beer cans, was thrown away by a mechanic at a Dutch museum. Screenshot from The Guardian, courtesy of Alexandre Lavet
The Dented Beer Cans Artwork

Director Siestke van Zanten explained that the theme of their collection was about food and consumption, with a challenge to look at normal objects we see every day in a different light.

French artist Alexandre Lavet made the unusual artwork with the title 'All The Good Times We Spent Together,' which likely connects beers to get-togethers by friends and families. With that, Van Zanten added that putting up these everyday objects in unexpected places in the museum helps amplify the experience for visitors.

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