The art world was shocked this weekend when it was discovered that a Piet Mondrian painting, New York City I, had been hanging upside down for 75 years. It was revealed by the curator and art historian Susanne Meyer-Büser at a press conference on the occasion of the opening of a new exhibition by the Dutch painter at the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany. According to the expert, the painting must have been carelessly turned over while it was being packed years ago for its exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA).
Many have wondered how such an error could have gone unnoticed for so long. But it must be said that this is not the first time something like this has happened. Precisely at MoMA, another painting, Le Bateau ?The Boat?, by Matisse, was hung upside down for 47 days.
It happened in 1961, the year in which the museum opened an exhibition dedicated to the French painter in its facilities. No less than 100,000 people attended, including critics, art experts and the son of the artist himself. But none of them realized what had happened until Genevieve Habert, a stockbroker who was fond of painting, noticed the mistake. He did not agree that the reflection of the ship had more details than the real ship so, to clarify his doubt, he bought a catalog with the works of the painter, in which he found what Matisse’s painting was really like.
Another affected was the mother of American modernism Georgia O’Keeffe, known for her paintings of flowers, New Mexico landscapes and New York skyscrapers, as well as for her relationship with Frida Kahlo. Affected was her work The Lawrence Tree, exhibited inverted in 1931 and again for ten years between 1979 and 1989. It is not the only O’Keeffe painting ever to be displayed inappropriately. . Oriental Poppies is another case, as it hung for no less than thirty years upside down in the museum of the University of Minnesota.
Not even Van Gogh, Picasso or Dalí are free from misunderstandings. In 1965, the Dutchman’s work Tall Grass and Butterflies remained inverted for two weeks at the National Gallery in London. The same thing happened at the Metropolitan in New York with the painting Four Fisherwomen in Cadaqués by the Catalan artist. And as for the inverted Picasso, it was a mistake by the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid with the drawing The Violinist, from 1912. In this case, the violin appeared as if it were the character’s head and the head simulated the violin, according to the researcher. Cecilia Garcia in 2008.
There is another case in Spain but, unlike the examples mentioned above, this one was exposed face down expressly for historical reasons. It is the portrait of Felipe V, which can currently be visited in the Almodí museum, in Xàtiva (València), and which does not leave anyone indifferent due to its layout. The reason for this decision? The monarch ordered the burning of Xàtiva on June 19, 1707, during the War of Succession, causing the extermination of the city.
These are just some of the most notorious examples of misunderstood art. But who knows how many more works are now being viewed from the wrong perspective. It is conceivable that none, but there are several network users who have encouraged experts to find more cases. At the moment, there is no other option but to wait and sharpen the eye. Just in case.