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Cleaner scrubs away AUD $1 million work of art

After a cleaning woman mistakenly identified a valuable sculpture as an unsightly mess, a German museum is now assessing the damage, which is irreversible.

The installation by Martin Kippenberger, titled When It Starts Dripping From the Ceiling, was on exhibit at the Ostwall Museum in Dortmund.

The late modern master constructed a tower made of wooden slats, beneath which a rubber trough was situated, covered with a thin beige layer of paint intended to mimic dried rainwater.

Mistaking it for a stain, the cleaner diligently scrubbed the surface until it shone.

“A city spokesman remarked, ‘It is now impossible to return it to its original state.'”

The work, which insurers valued at AUD $1 million, was on loan to the museum from a private collector.

Although cleaning crews were instructed to maintain a distance of 20cm from artworks, it remains uncertain whether the cleaner had received this information from the contractor who employed her.

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