More than 360 kilograms (800 pounds) of peanut butter, an amount sufficient to make approximately 15,000 sandwiches, now covers the floor of a museum in Rotterdam, Netherlands. This unique installation serves as a tribute to the Dutch conceptual artist Wim T. Schippers, who passed away last month at the age of 83.
The artwork, known as “Pindakaasvloer” or “Peanut Butter Floor,” was originally conceived by Schippers in 1969. Its latest recreation was unveiled on Thursday, July 9, 2026, at the Depot offshoot of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in the Dutch port city, where it will be on display for a two-month exhibition.
Schippers was celebrated in the Netherlands as a beloved non-conformist. Beyond his visual art, he was also known for voicing Ernie and Kermit the Frog in the Dutch adaptation of “Sesame Street.” His work often challenged conventional notions of art through absurdist and whimsical creations. Reflecting on his work, Schippers once told journalists at the Central Museum in Utrecht in 1997, where the Pindakaasvloer was previously exhibited, “Isn’t it fantastic that we are all standing here looking at peanut butter?”
The “Peanut Butter Floor” is part of Schippers’ broader Floor Covering Series, which also featured floors adorned with glass shards and salt. For many who have experienced the artwork firsthand, it is the distinctive aroma, reminiscent of breakfasts and lunchboxes, that leaves a lasting impression. Museum staff even guided visitors for the opening to “follow the smell,” which wafted from the ticket counter three floors below the installation.
Mieke Weismann, a food photographer and writer who saw the exhibition as a teenager in 1997, recalled to The Associated Press, “The thing I remember is the smell.” However, the installation may not be suitable for everyone; a sign at the museum’s entrance advises visitors with peanut allergies to consider not entering the space.
The meticulous process of recreating the artwork involved two employees from the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, including Leon Duenk, who spent several days last week spreading 40 buckets of peanut butter across a 25-square-meter (270-square-foot) hexagonal area. Duenk described the task as “a lot of work.” The team used drywall trowels to achieve a uniform thickness of 2 centimeters (0.8 inch).
Before his passing, Schippers collaborated with the museum to develop a 20-point plan for future recreations of the work. This plan stipulated that the peanut butter be applied “as smoothly and boringly as possible” and explicitly stated that “no one is supposed to stand in, or lie down on the peanut butter.” While Schippers did not specify the exact size or shape, he insisted on smooth peanut butter and expressed a preference for the Dutch brand Calvé, which generously donated 40 tubs for the current exhibition.
The artwork has faced challenges in past displays. In 2011, multiple visitors inadvertently stepped into the sticky installation. A more deliberate incident occurred in 1997 when a group placed 12 slices of bread and several bags of hagelslag—chocolate sprinkles commonly eaten on bread in the Netherlands—on the floor. Schippers, however, took the incident in stride, telling the Dutch newspaper Volkskrant at the time, “It doesn’t look bad. The sprinkles have been applied with a sense of proportion and a skillful hand.”
AP correspondent Donna Warder reports on an unusual piece of art in the Netherlands.
Prior to his death the museum and Schippers discussed how to recreate the work in the future, producing a 20-point plan that included the requirement to apply the peanut butter “as smoothly and boringly as possible” and that “no one is supposed to stand in, or lie down on the peanut butter.”
