At Düsseldorf’s Kunstpalast museum, a performance artist known as the “Grumpy Guide” has become an unexpected draw. Joseph Langelinck, the alter ego of artist Carl Brandi, delivers tours filled with insults and sarcastic reprimands. Despite—or because of—the rudeness, the twice-monthly tours have been sold out since their launch in May 2023. Bookings are now full until next year.
The 70-minute walks cost €7 and involve Langelinck shouting at visitors for checking phones, sitting down, or showing ignorance. He challenges participants to name mythological figures and scolds them for insufficient answers. “I try to make them feel as ignorant as possible,” said Brandi, 33, who insists he never insults individuals personally but directs contempt at the group’s inferred ignorance.
Museum director Felix Krämer was inspired by the popularity of “rude waiter” restaurants and the local tradition of brash waiters known as Köbesse. Brandi also cited Peter Handke’s 1966 play Offending the Audience as a highbrow influence. He believes people enjoy the “emotional ride” and the lack of barrier between performer and audience.
The tour also targets curatorial trends that Langelinck detests, such as encouraging social media sharing and mixing fine art with everyday objects. At displays of chairs, he howls that visitors “may as well have walked into a furniture shop.” His bitterness stems from a fictional backstory linking him to the museum’s founder.
