Cleaner mistakenly throws away 'rubbish' artworks

A $15,000 art exhibition has wound up in a bin after a cleaning lady at an Italian gallery mistook it for trash.

The unidentified cleaner mistakenly threw away works made out of cardboard and newspaper and swept up cookie crumbs scattered across the floor, not realising they were part of a contemporary art exhibit.

Security officers realised the artworks were missing when Sala Murat, the venue hosting the display in the town of Bari, opened on Wednesday morning, reports BBC News.

It turned out the cleaner had handed the art to garbage collectors believing it to be rubbish left over by workers setting up the exhibition.

Bari marketing commissioner Antonio Maria Vasile said the city is "obviously very sorry for what happened".

Lorenzo Roca, from the cleaning firm which employs the woman, said she was "just doing her job".

The firm's insurance will cover the cost of the destroyed art.