In 1935 the Museum of Modern Art (MOM) sponsored America's first exhibition of the work of Vincent van Gogh. The American artist Hugh Troy – cynically assuming that many of those who flocked to the show were more interested in the lurid details of van Gogh's life than in his art – fabricated an “ear” from chipped beef and surreptitiously mounted it in a small blue velvet display case above a card reading: “This was the ear that Vincent van Gogh cut off and sent to his mistress, a French prostitute, 24 December 1888.”
Troy's case was duly found by gallery staff and, prominently displayed, soon became a prime draw for the bustling crowds. we