Completely nuts: Dutch gallery covers floor in peanut butter to honour late artist

Wim T Schippers’ work is installed at the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam, Netherlands last week. Photograph: Mouneb Taim/AP View image in fullscreen Wim T Schippers’ work is installed at the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam, Netherlands last week. Photograph: Mouneb Taim/AP Completely nuts: Dutch gallery covers floor in peanut butter to honour late artist Wim T Schippers asked that his 800lb sculpture be spread smoothly and without ‘educational purpose’ A museum in Rotterdam has paid tribute to the idiosyncratic character of one of the most influential figures in the Dutch arts by spreading 800lb of peanut butter across the floor of one of its galleries. The hexagonal floor installation, called Pindakaasvloer (Peanut butter floor), is a recreation of a work by Wim T Schippers conceived of in 1962 and first exhibited in 1969. It is displayed alongside detailed instructions Schippers left behind after his death last month, at 83. They stipulate that curators should apply 15.6kg of non-chunky peanut butter to every square metre of the floor and spread it as “smoothly and monotonously as possible”. The work should not be stood or lied upon and not be approached “with any educational purpose”. View image in fullscreen A smooth operation: Schippers left detailed instructions for how Peanut butter floor should be recreated. Photograph: Mouneb Taim/AP “Peanut butter floor still raises questions like, is this art? Am I allowed to like this?” said Sandra Kisters, the acting director of Museum Boijmans van Beuningen. “And it is this sense of bewilderment that makes this piece so special. We regard it as a great honour to be able to present this unique artwork in his memory.’’ Born Willem Theodoor Schippers in Groningen, Schippers was a unique figure in the cultural life of the Netherlands , whose dadaist mischief and love of the absurd proved influential far beyond the refined world of galleries and museum. In the early 1960s, he was the co-founder of the A-dynamische groep art collective that railed against commercialisation, seriousness and above all boredom in art with stunts that included shaving cactuses and filling galleries with shards of glass or salt. Food was a popular medium: as well as spreading peanut butter across floors, Schippers also upholstered a chair with canned noodles and covered a table in peas. View image in fullscreen Schippers enjoyed using food in his work as part of his absurdist attitude to art and life. Photograph: Sem van der Wal/EPA From the late 60s, he branched out into television. His music show Hoepla was discontinued after it featured the first completely naked woman on live Dutch television. He later conceived of the cult comedy character Sjef van Oekel, a Belgian frites salesman in a tuxedo played by the comedian and opera singer Dolf Brouwers. To Dutch people, Schippers is best known as the voice of Ernie, Kermit the frog and Count von Count on the Netherlands’ version of Sesame Street. “You coul