More than 800 pounds of peanut butter have been spread across a museum floor in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in tribute to the late Dutch conceptual artist Wim T. Schippers. The exhibit, known as "Pindakaasvloer" or "peanut butter floor," was unveiled Thursday at the Depot, an offshoot of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.
Schippers, who died on June 10 at the age of 83, first created a peanut butter floor in 1969. This latest iteration uses enough nut butter for approximately 15,000 sandwiches. Two museum employees spent several days applying 40 buckets of peanut butter to a thickness of 0.8 inches across a 270-square-foot hexagonal area. Leon Duenk, one of the employees involved, described the process as "a lot of work."
The artwork is part of Schippers' "Floor Covering Series," which previously featured floors covered in materials such as glass shards and salt. Schippers, also known for voicing Ernie and Kermit the Frog in the Dutch version of "Sesame Street," had discussed the recreation of the exhibit with the museum before his death. He outlined a 20-point plan, stipulating that the peanut butter should be applied "as smoothly and boringly as possible" and that visitors should not step on it.
Schippers expressed a preference for smooth peanut butter from the Dutch brand Calvé, which donated the 40 tubs used in the exhibit. The museum currently carries a warning at its entrance for visitors with peanut allergies.
Previous displays of the "Pindakaasvloer" have seen public interaction and even vandalism. In 2011, multiple visitors stepped on the peanut butter floor. In 1997, a group of pranksters placed 12 slices of bread and bags of chocolate sprinkles on the floor. Schippers, in response to the 1997 incident, commented that the sprinkles were applied with "a sense of proportion and a skillful hand."
The current "Pindakaasvloer" exhibit is scheduled to remain on display until September 6.
