Painting's Surprise Stardom: German Museum Sees Surge in Visitors After Taylor Swift Video

In a surprising turn of events, a German museum has experienced a surge in visitors after a painting from its collection was featured in a Taylor Swift music video. The Hessische Landesmuseum in Wiesbaden has been delighted by the unexpected inspiration, as hundreds of additional people have flocked to the museum over the past weekend to see the artwork.

The painting in question is an Art Nouveau work by German artist Friedrich Heyser, depicting the character of Ophelia from William Shakespeare's play "Hamlet." The video for Taylor Swift's song "The Fate of Ophelia" opens with the superstar lying in a white dress, strikingly similar to the museum's painting.

Andreas Henning, the director of the Hessische Landesmuseum, expressed his delight at the unexpected exposure. "We are surprised and delighted that Taylor Swift used this painting from the museum as inspiration for her video," he said. "This is, of course, a great opportunity to attract people to the museum who don't know us yet."

Henning also revealed that the museum has attempted to reach out to Taylor Swift, expressing a wish "to show Taylor Swift the original painting sometime." The museum has welcomed visitors from all over Germany, including families of American soldiers stationed at the nearby US military base in Wiesbaden.