Artist Delivers Empty Frames to Museum! Must Pay Back $75,000
off the hook: to escape responsibility for something
In 2021, an artist named Jens Haaning was paid by a Danish museum to recreate two pieces of art he had previously made. Instead of doing the job, he gave them two empty frames! He wrote the museum an email saying that he had decided to create a new piece of art named “Take the Money and Run.” Although the museum displayed these empty frames with his email on their walls, they did still want their money back. Haaning later said the artwork was a protest against being underpaid, but this didn’t get him off the hook. This week, a court in Copenhagen said the artist must return the $75,000 he was paid.
Sample sentences
1. Although there was a lot of evidence against him, the judge let him off the hook due to a technicality.
2. My teacher thought I forgot my homework, but luckily, the class was canceled, so I was off the hook.
3. Even though Sarah broke the vase, her little brother admitted he did it, and she was off the hook.
