I had to share this article about a cleaning woman in Germany who accidentally cleaned a part of a sculpture, ruining the $1.1 million piece that was on display in a museum:

$1.1 million sculpture damaged by cleaning woman in German museum

By Maura Judkis

A $1.1 million art installation in Germany’s Ostwall Museum was damaged by a cleaning woman who mistook a hand-painted patina for dirt and scrubbed it away. Artist Martin Kippenberger's “When It Starts Dripping From the Ceiling” was comprised of a wooden structure and a rubber trough painted to look as though it had once contained a puddle of dirty rainwater.
Picture taken Thursday Nov. 3, 2011 shows the base of the sculpture "Wenn's anfaengt durch die Decke zu tropfen" ( "When it Starts Dripping from the Ceiling" ) by German artist Martin Kippenberger in the Ostwall museum in Dortmund, western Germany. (Mike Siepmann - AP)

The artwork fell victim to an expensive mistake when a woman from the cleaning agency, whose employees had been instructed to stay at least eight inches away from the art at all times, “cleaned” the installation. According to the Associated Press, it remains on view while insurance adjusters assess the damage, and the owner of the work decides whether it should be restored.

Kippenberger, a German artist known for working in a variety of styles, died in 1997. He was the leader of a group of German “bad boy” artists that at emerged in the wake of Neo-Expressionism, and made as much trouble as he did art, appropriating other artists’ work and once buying a gas station in Brazil and naming it after himself.

Thanks to his trouble-making persona, some have suggested that he would have liked the way that the cleaning woman “completed” his sculpture.

***********************************************************************************************************

http://www.last.fm/music/Martin+Kippenberger

Of course, this sculpture fiasco has stirred up all kinds of debates from the cost of the piece to the question of what defines art. Clearly, in this case, it's not the cost of the materials that contributed to the $1.1-million dollar price tag. No, the hefty price tag was likely more about the artist, Martin Kippenberger, considered one of the most talented German artists of our time. Kippenberger died in 1997 at the age of 43. He dabbled in many different styles including mixed media, painting and performance art. He even recorded some music at one point. His influence on younger artists was well noted, and his pieces have been displayed in museums all over the world. Always controversial and struggling with concepts of originality, Kippenberger pushed the envelope as far as he could. His works will be remembered, some for their political statement and some for their reflections on society. There's no doubt that he was an artist who fought to convey messages to his viewers. It's no wonder that he is considered so influential. All of his pieces seem to have incredible depth and meaning. He will be remembered as an artist who was very prolific and constantly morphing and adapting, always eager to try his hand at something new.