Mondrian, Matisse and other artists with poorly suspended works

The art world was shocked this weekend to discover that a painting Piet MondrianAnd the New York City I, has been hanging upside down for 75 years. Curator and art historian Susanne Mayer-Bosser revealed it at a press conference marking the opening of a new exhibition of the Dutch painter at Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany. According to the expert, the painting must have been carelessly handed over as it was packaged years ago for its exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA).

Many wondered how such a mistake could have gone unnoticed for so long. But it must be said that this is not the first time something like this has happened. Specifically in MoMA, another panel, le bateau -boat-, by Matisse, hung upside down for 47 days.

It happened in 1961, the year the museum opened an exhibition dedicated to the French painter in its facilities. At least 100,000 people attended, including critics, art experts and the artist’s own son. But none of them realized what had happened until Genevieve Hubert, a stockbroker who was fond of painting, noticed the error. He was not adding to him that the reflection of the boat contained more details than the real one, so, to clarify his doubts, he bought a catalog of the painter’s works, in which he found what Matisse’s painting was really like.

American Modernist mother Georgia O’Keeffe, known for her paintings of flowers, New Mexico landscapes and New York skyscrapers, as well as her relationship with Frida Kahlo, was also influenced. The victim was his work Lawrence Treeit was shown upside down in 1931 and again for ten years between 1979 and 1989. It is not the only O’Keefe’s painting that has ever been inappropriately displayed. oriental poppy It’s another case, one that for at least thirty years has been hung upside down in the University of Minnesota Museum.

Even Van Gogh, Picasso and Dali were not without misunderstandings. In 1965 the Dutch worked tall grass and butterflies It remained upside down for two weeks at the National Gallery in London. The same thing happened in the Metropolitan of New York with the painting Four women fishermen in Cadaqués Catalan artist. As for the inverted Picasso, it was the fault of the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid with the painting. violinistfrom 1912. In this case, the violin appeared as if the character’s head and the head mimicked the violin, according to researcher Cecilia Garcia in 2008.

There is another case in Spain, but unlike the above examples, this case was explicitly disclosed for historical reasons. It is the portrait of Felipe V, which can currently be visited in the Almodi Museum, in Shativa (Valencia), which does not leave anyone indifferent due to its design. What is the reason for this decision? The king ordered the burning of Shativa on June 19, 1707, during the War of Succession, causing the city to be annihilated.

These are just some of the more famous examples of misunderstood art. But who knows how many works are now viewed from the wrong perspective. It is conceivable that there is no one, but there are many network users who have encouraged experts to find more cases. For now, there is no other choice but to wait and sharpen the eye. just in case.