One of the most famous modern art mishaps occurred in 2015 at the Museion, where a cleaning crew accidentally disposed of what they believed was the messy aftermath of a party. The installation, created by Italian artists Goldschmied & Chiari, featured empty champagne bottles, confetti, cigarette butts, streamers, and other debris deliberately arranged to resemble the chaotic scene left behind after a lavish celebration.

Because the artwork looked so convincingly like ordinary trash, a cleaner reportedly assumed the exhibit had been left behind after an event and dutifully swept up the bottles, decorations, and other materials before the museum opened. By the time curators realized what had happened, much of the installation had already been removed with the rest of the day’s waste.

Fortunately, the artwork was not permanently lost. Museum staff recovered many of the original materials and, working with the artists, carefully reconstructed the installation. Since contemporary installations often consist of replaceable objects arranged according to the artist’s instructions, restoration was possible without destroying the work’s artistic integrity.

The incident quickly became international news and sparked widespread debate about contemporary art. Many people joked that they might have made the same mistake, while others argued the episode perfectly illustrated one of modern art’s central ideas: challenging viewers’ assumptions about what qualifies as art. Ironically, the misunderstanding brought far more global attention to the installation than it had ever received before the accident.

Although reports often describe the artwork as being worth around $1 million, the exact valuation has varied across media accounts.