Take the Money and Run
Jens Haaning’s controversial work invites you to reflect on what art is capable of – and what boundaries it can break.
Take the Money and Run is as much about the action, the discussions, and the aftermath as it is about the empty frames displayed at the museum.
The work was originally created for an exhibition at Kunsten in 2021; the theme was ‘modern working life’. For the exhibition, the Danish artist Jens Hanning was supposed to update two of his earlier works featuring banknotes in frames – An Average Danish Annual Income (2010) and An Average Austrian Annual Income – and create contemporary versions.
The museum lent the artist money corresponding to the average annual income, but received a completely different, cashless work: two empty frames accompanied by a declaration from the artist that he had created a new work entitled Take the Money and Run.
The work is a piece of conceptual art featuring institutional critique. The empty frames are merely the remnant of the idea and the context that the work comprises. Haaning raises critical questions about the value of art, the working conditions of artists, and the structures of the capitalist system, challenging institutions and their framework – both literally and symbolically.
The title reflects Haaning’s action, and the work is a critical, humorous invitation to the viewer.
Top photo: Jens Haaning, Take the Money and Run, 2021
© Jens Haaning / VISDA. Photo: Kunsten Museum of Modern Art
Acquired in 2024 with support from The Obel Family Foundation
About the artist
Jens Haaning (b. 1965) is one of the most foremost figures in Danish contemporary art. He graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1994, and lives and works in Copenhagen. His works grapple with societal and global issues, addressing topics such as migration, nationalism, capitalism, and the changes Western society is undergoing.
For years, Haaning has been making his mark on the international art scene. His works often address existing structures related to power and communication: structures that have a huge impact on our lives and society as a whole. Additionally, his works often feature interventions in institutional structures or the public space.
As part of Kunsten’s collection
Kunsten acquired Take the Money and Run for its collection in 2024; it is now an important part of Danish art history.
As part of Kunsten’s collection, the work follows in the footsteps of 20th-century avant-garde tradition: many artists experimented in their quest to break with the establishment and challenge the status quo. Take, for example, the Fluxus movement, which is richly represented in the museum’s collection.
Kunsten’s collection also contains an earlier work by Jens Haaning: Turkish Jokes (1994) – an audio work featuring taped recordings of jokes told by Turks in their native language, played in the public space.