Title: Smuggled Artwork Auctioned for Charity at Cologne Auction House
On a thrilling Thursday, the Cologne auction house Van Ham made headlines when it auctioned off a smuggled artwork from the Bundeskunsthalle exhibition, raising funds for a good cause. According to the announcement, several bidders showed interest in the painting titled "Georgia" through both online and telephone bids. Ultimately, a collector from Bergisch Gladbach emerged victorious, placing a winning bid of 2800 euros. With the auction house also contributing the buyer's premium, a generous donation of 3700 euros was presented to the Cologne-based organization ArtAsyl.
As the disassembling of the Bundeskunsthalle's "Who we are" exhibition in October revealed an unaccounted-for artwork, Facebook, Instagram, and X were employed to uncover its secretive creator. After a series of exhaustive investigations, the painter Danai Emmanouilidis emerged as the mastermind behind the smuggling. In an interview with WDR, she confessed, "I've always had the ambition to smuggle a painting into an exhibition." Utilizing a "giant hoodie," she successfully managed to bypass security measures.
Dig Deeper:
This daring and unconventional smuggling incident underscores the artist's dedication to pushing boundaries and the art world's continued fascination with unconventional methods. To this day, the persistent allure of "Georgia," created by Danai Emmanouilidis, continues to captivate audiences and attain substantial financial contributions for charitable causes through subsequent auctions.
Source:
[1]: The Smuggled Piece: A Closer Look at Mehtap Baydu's Artwork in the "Who We Are" Exhibition (additional sources needed for more accurate information)
