Join the Hunt for #MissingMasterpieces

by Maud Largeaud , AdForum

Afraid a clunky TV screen might interfere with the otherwise tasteful aesthetic of your interior décor? Enter The Frame, a discreet and high-quality Samsung TV that’s as pretty as a picture. In order to promote the telly, Samsung and Edelman came up with an idea that was as potentially useful as it was thrilling. They joined up with an art historian specialising in stolen and missing artworks, and turned TV screens (and social media) into an exhibition of 12 lost masterpieces. Missing Masterpieces was available for free to users of the TV as part of its “Art Mode”, which turns the screen into a gallery via a catalogue of virtual paintings. As well as bringing lost works by Van Gogh, Cezanne and Monet back into circulation, the initiative challenged the public to keep an eye out for the paintings in real life – in auction rooms, antique shops, or maybe on the wall of a best friend? – as most stolen art is recovered thanks to a tip-off. More to the point, #MissingMasterpieces caught the initiative of the media and resulted in plenty of coverage for Samsung. Although the paintings are still at large, The Frame has reinforced its arty credentials.