Rotterdam Museum Honors Dutch Artist Wim T. Schippers with 800 Kg Peanut Butter Floor Installation

The Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam is currently showcasing a unique tribute to the late Dutch artist Wim T. Schippers, who passed away in June at age 83. The exhibition features a precise recreation of one of Schippers' most famous works, "Peanut Butter Floor" (Pindakaasvloer), originally presented in 1969. For this installation, 800 kilograms of smooth peanut butter were spread evenly about two centimeters thick across a 25-square-meter hexagonal floor space in the museum's Depot building, the world’s first open art storage facility.

The museum followed Schippers' original instructions to use only smooth peanut butter without nut fragments, while having freedom to determine the shape and size of the piece. The amount of peanut butter used could make approximately 15,000 peanut butter sandwiches. This work is not a permanent physical object but a conceptual art piece, emphasizing the idea and instructions over the material itself. Over the years, the piece has been recreated multiple times, with some visitors accidentally stepping on it.

Wim T. Schippers was known for his provocative and absurdist art that blended visual art, television, and pop culture. He also famously voiced the character Arnie (renamed Erik in the Israeli version) in the Dutch adaptation of Sesame Street, highlighting his diverse talents. The current exhibition runs until early September, offering visitors a rare chance to experience a work that challenges traditional definitions of art and engages the senses beyond sight, including smell.