History Main / MistakenForExhibit

* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "City of Death": The Doctor and Romana leave the TARDIS at the Galerie Denise Rene. When they return, there are two people standing in front of it...

''(The Doctor, Romana, and Duggan run into the TARDIS, which dematerialises.)''\\

** And ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS4E2TheFiresOfPompeii The Fires of Pompeii]]'' not only has the TARDIS mistaken for a modern art installation, but an enterprising street trader has sold it to a wealthy marble merchant, kicking off the MonsterOfTheWeek plot.
** Averted in "The Lodger". The Doctor tries to convince the landlord that a scanning device he's built out of household objects is "a modern art piece on the awfulness of modern life", but is unconvincing.

* Often inverted: You can put a "This is an art project" sign on almost anything, and people will assume it's true.
* [[http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2011/02/18/stupid-employee-trick-of-the-day-workers-trash-50k-artwork/ Workers Mistakenly Trash $50,000 Artwork]].

Compare AccidentalArt. A person might invoke this trope deliberately to hide; see NobodyHereButUsStatues.

* The ''Series/RedDwarf'' episode "Legion": Rimmer, pretending he knows about art to impress Legion, complements on one piece:

* In the ''{{Futurama}}'' episode "Mother's Day," the cast visits a wax museums of famous historical robots:

* When [[MalcolmInTheMiddle Malcolm's]] family takes a trip to the Burning Man festival, Hal sunbathing and cheerfully grilling outside his camper are taken by the hippies in attendance as a viciously witty performance piece commenting on emptiness of the American burgeoisie or some such pretentious nonsense, while Hal remains oblivious as to why so many people keep staring at him while he's vacationing.

* ''DesigningWomen'' has Julia Sugarbaker leave her purse, which has a curvy black-and-white pattern, on its side on a table in a museum of modern art, whereupon the art crowd descends to ooh and ahh over it. The curator then insists it IS Art and therefore museum property, to the frustration of Julia, who just wants it back.

* ''DesigningWoman'' has Julia Sugarbaker leave her purse, which has a curvy black-and-white pattern, on its side on a table in a museum of modern art, whereupon the art crowd descends to ooh and ahh over it. The curator then insists it IS Art and therefore museum property, to the frustration of Julia, who just wants it back.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In the episode "Mom and Pop Art," Mr. Burns mistakes Homer's failed attempts at D.I.Y. crafting for fine art and buys them for large amounts of money.

* Several times in the stories by EphraimKishon.

* Parodied by [[TheChasersWarOnEverything The Chaser]], who attempted to demonstrate that it was possible to dump all kinds of junk in an art gallery without people noticing: tree clippings ("Lord of the Plants"), an old computer, a broken vacuum cleaner (unsucessfully), an old mattress (unsuccessfully, though one woman spent some time admiring it) and two garbage bags ("Fun Dip").

My, what a stunning painting! The stark green lettering over a plain white background forcefully expresses the artist's quest for meaning and direction in a confusing world. Truly a masterpiece. What do you mean, it's the "Emergency Exit" sign? My bad.

Often intended as a TakeThat to [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible contemporary art]], this comedic situation involves somebody mistakenly believing that a non-artistic item among works of art is itself a work of art.

A variant involves non-artistic settings, such as an old person at an archeological exhibition being mistaken for a mummy. The inversion involves a genuine work of art being mistaken for a mundane item.

Compare AccidentalArt. A person might invoke this trope deliberately to hide; see NobodyHereButUsStatues.

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!!Examples:

[[AC:{{Advertising}}]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

-->'''Rimmer''': Now this three-dimensional sculpture in particular is quite exquisite. Its simplicity, its bold, stark lines ... pray, what do you call it?
-->'''Legion''': The light switch.
-->'''Rimmer''': The light switch?
-->'''Legion''': Yes.
-->'''Rimmer''': I couldn't buy it off you then?
-->'''Legion''': Not really. I need it to turn the lights on and off.

-->'''[[JohnCleese He]]:''' To me, one of the most curious things about this piece is its wonderful afunctionalism.\\

* ''MurphyBrown'': Eldin (Murphy's live-in housepainter) gets a show at an art gallery. At the opening people come in to find a completely empty room. They discuss whether they themselves are the art or what, but then Eldin points out that he painted a mural [[BehindTheBlack on the ceiling]].

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

-->[Fry backs away slowly.]

[[AC:RealLife]]
* An "illicit art mistaken for approved art" variant: Banksy has left his own reinterpretations of famous pieces in museums as though they were meant to be there. They often stay up for days or weeks before someone notices and takes them down.

* [[http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2011/02/18/stupid-employee-trick-of-the-day-workers-trash-50k-artwork/ Workers Mistakenly Trash $50,000 Artwork]].

* Banksy has left his own reinterpretations of famous pieces in museums as though they were meant to be there. They often stay up for days or weeks before someone notices and takes them down.

* The ''RedDwarf'' episode "Legion": Rimmer, pretending he knows about art to impress Legion, complements on one piece:

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My, what a stunning painting! the stark green lettering over a plain white background forcefully expresses the artist's quest for meaning and direction in a confusing world. Truly a masterpiece. What do you mean, it's the "Emergency Exit" sign? My bad.

* Parodied by [[TheChasersWarOnEverything The Chaser]], who attempted to demonstrat that it was possible to dump all kinds of junk in an art gallery without people noticing: tree clippings ("Lord of the Plants"), an old computer, a broken vacuum cleaner (unsucessfully), an old mattress (unsuccessfully, though one woman spent some time admiring it) and two garbage bags ("Fun Dip").

* Parodied by TheChasersWarOnEverything The Chaser]], who demonstrated that it was possible to dump all kinds of rubbish in an art gallery without people noticing.

* The ''{{Futurama}}'' episode "Mother's Day" has Fry justly mistake the janitor (who happens to be a robot made out of wax) for one of the wax robot sculptures in a museum.

* In ''TheSimpsons'' episode "Mom and Pop Art," Mr. Burns mistakes Homer's failed attempts at D.I.Y. crafting for fine art and buys them for large amounts of money.