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An elderly woman filled out a crossword in a museum, then realised it was art worth £67,000

An elderly woman filled out a crossword in a museum, then realised it was art worth £67,000

An elderly woman filled out a crossword in a museum, then realised it was art worth £67,000
15 July 2016

If you haven't immediately brought one hand to your heart and the other to your cheek and exclaimed a quiet "Oh" upon reading that headline, then get out. We don't want you here.

In what seems to be the cutest story of the year (move over, cat on Roomba) a 91-year-old woman on a seniors' visit to Nuremberg’s Neues Museum accidentally filled out a 51-year-old piece of art after mistaking it for a crossword.

To be fair, it is a crossword. Just not one you're meant to fill in. 

The 1965 art work by avant-garde artist Arthur Koepcke apparently features the phrase 'insert words', which the woman in question believed was an instruction. Other works in the museum are interactive, which added to her confusion. 

Unfortunately, this is where the cute ends, as officials haven't taken kindly to the vandalism of a £67,000 artwork. (Hello, it should be worth more now, if anything). 

Museum director Eva-Christina Kraus admits they have filed a criminal complaint, although claims this was necessary for insurance reasons and the museum has no malicious intent. 

Luckily, according to the German website Suddeutsche Zeitung, experts believe the work can be successfully restored. But 'can' doesn't mean 'should', you know? Think about it guys. Think about it.