A performance artist posing as an aggressive art historian has turned museum tours in Düsseldorf into a sold-out attraction. Carl Brandi, 33, performs as the irritable Joseph Langelinck, leading visitors through the Kunstpalast with insults and scolding. The twice-monthly tours, costing €7, have been fully booked since their launch in May, with the next available spots not until next year.
Brandi’s character shouts at guests for checking phones, sitting down, or failing to answer questions loudly enough. ‘I try to make them feel as ignorant as possible,’ he said, though he insists he never insults individuals personally. The museum advertises the tour as ‘grumpy’ and ‘highly unpleasant’, yet crowds flock to experience the 70-minute walk at breakneck speed.
Director Felix Krämer was inspired by the viral success of ‘rude waiter’ restaurants such as Karen’s Diner, as well as local traditions of brash service in Düsseldorf and Cologne. Brandi also cited Peter Handke’s 1966 play Offending the Audience as a highbrow influence. The tour is part of a wider trend of European museums seeking new audiences through unconventional formats, such as nudist evenings in Stuttgart and socks-only visits in the Netherlands.
Langelinck’s character has a backstory: he is a distant relative of the Elector Palatine, whose collection forms the museum’s core. His bitterness stems from wounded pride, leading him to rail against modern curation that mixes high art with everyday objects, like a Volkswagen Beetle beside oil paintings. ‘You may as well have walked into a furniture shop,’ he scoffs at one display.
