A prominent museum in Rotterdam has unveiled an unusual tribute to one of the Netherlands' most influential and idiosyncratic artists, Wim T Schippers, by covering a gallery floor with 800lb of peanut butter. The installation, titled 'Pindakaasvloer' (Peanut Butter Floor), is a faithful recreation of a conceptual artwork first conceived by Schippers in 1962 and initially exhibited in 1969.
Schippers, who passed away in June at the age of 83, left behind detailed instructions for the piece's execution. These stipulated that curators at the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen should apply precisely 15.6kg of smooth peanut butter per square metre of the hexagonal floor, spreading it as "smoothly and monotonously as possible." Crucially, the artist also decreed that the work should not be stood or lied upon, nor approached "with any educational purpose."
Sandra Kisters, the acting director of the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, commented on the enduring impact of the piece. "Peanut butter floor still raises questions like, is this art? Am I allowed to like this?" she said. "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." She drew parallels between Schippers' cultural status and influence and that of the British comedy troupe Monty Python, noting his belief that "life and art were always entirely serious and entirely non-serious at the same time."
Born Willem Theodoor Schippers in Groningen, he was a singular figure in Dutch cultural life. His early career saw him co-found the A-dynamische groep art collective in the early 1960s, which challenged commercialisation and artistic solemnity through provocative stunts such as shaving cactuses and filling galleries with unconventional materials. Food was a frequent medium in his conceptual art, with other works including a chair upholstered with canned noodles and a table covered in peas.
Beyond the art world, Schippers achieved widespread recognition in television. He was instrumental in creating the cult comedy character Sjef van Oekel and is perhaps best known to the Dutch public as the voice of beloved characters like Ernie, Kermit the Frog, and Count von Count in the Dutch adaptation of Sesame Street. His conceptual art continued until his death, including the seemingly gravity-defying 'Het Is Me Wat' (That Is Quite Something) from 1999, which used electromagnets to float a large stone, and his 2011 sculpture of a pile of excrement, 'Stationnement Gênant' (Unauthorised parking), which remains on display at Hilversum's Media Park.
The 'Pindakaasvloer' has a history of generating public interaction, sometimes unintentionally. During a 1997 exhibition at Utrecht's Centraal Museum, schoolchildren famously vandalised it with chocolate sprinkles and bread slices, recreating a popular Dutch snack, a result Schippers was reportedly not displeased with. When last displayed at the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in 2011, it was damaged by an inattentive visitor who walked onto and slipped on the installation. The current exhibition will run until 6 September 2026, with the museum's restaurant offering a special peanut butter sandwich and the shop selling smooth peanut butter for visitors to create their own art at home.