Stefan Bohnenberger is famed for having made a cross of gold from a pair of French fries.

Titled “Pommes d’Or,” the crossed fries were displayed in a room of their own at the Munich-based art gallery Mosel and Tschechow, where, according to the artist, they were intended to demonstrate “the metamorphosis of a profane, everyday object into a sacred artwork.” Trouble arose in 2005, when it was discovered that the original plain-potato fries on which the gold cross was based—an integral part of the exhibit—had mysteriously vanished. Bohnenberger sued and was awarded a compensatory sum of 2,000 euros for the missing fries, possibly the most money ever spent on two strips of potato. This was a high point in the history of