The Ruskin Mystery

Kunsthallen Brandts is looking for a person missing a 2.8” lock of dark hair. An unknown guest has placed a framed lock of hair in Kunsthallen. The case has been described as “very mysterious”.

Recently Kunsthallen Brandts opened an exhibition featuring Portuguese artist João Penalva.

One of the art works, The Hair of Mr. Ruskin, consists of eight framed locks of hair. One of the frames contains hair from the famous Victorian scientist, art critic etc. John Ruskin. The seven other pictures have been made by Penalva to examine the relationship between originality, copy and forgery.

New picture containing a lock of hair from a stranger discovered last Saturday
An unknown guest has succeeded in sneaking  in an extra picture next to the eight others. Head of security at Brandts, Ronny Honore - who normally hears and sees everything- has been pulling both his own and his colleague´s hair in frustration. They all ask themselves (and each other) the same questions: who did it- and why?  It was Ronny Honore who discovered that something was wrong:“ It was really weird. I counted the pictures several times. I knew there were supposed to be eight - but nine pictures hung on the wall!” He says that they are looking for a person with straight dark hair (who is now of course missing a 2.8” lock of hair).

Lock of hair stolen in 2002
In 2002, Penalva exhibited the 8 pictures at the Courtauld Institute in London-and here one of the framed locks of hair were stolen! A thievish museum guest took one of the forged pictures made by the artist. The case was solved by the police and a number of  documents concerning the incident are now actually part of the exhibition at Kunsthallen Brandts.