. But apparently there is one thing that art absolutely cannot be, and that is: hung upside down.
The modern-art world was recently rocked by the discovery that a painting by Piet Mondrian, famous for his abstract grids of overlapping lines in primary colors, has been hanging upside down for 75 years. The piece, which Mondrian assembled using adhesive tape in 1941, has been on display since 1945 at various renowned museums, starting with the MoMA.
Apparently, Susanne Meyer-Büser was doing research while curating the exhibit when she found a 1944 photo of Mondrian’s studio, where the painting, called, was resting on an easel with the opposite side up.
Abstract art being what it is, this is not the only fumble MoMA has made when it comes to hanging these things: In 1961 a stockbroker visiting the museum declared that a Matisse cutout calledwas hung upside down — a mistake that had gone unnoticed by curators, art critics, museum guests, and even Matisse’s own son. You’d be forgiven for thinking that if even the artist’s son didn’t know which way the painting was supposed to go, it doesn’t really matter, but it caused a major fuss.
This time, though, it seems like curators and art lovers alike will weather this storm. Due to the whole disintegration thing, Meyer-Büser is going to continue to hang it upside down. “It’s now part of the work’s story,” she
Mondriaan has been misspelled for 75 years
Incorrect.