$1.1M German museum piece falls victim to cleaning lady

An article with a pic: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20111103-38649.html

"She said that cleaning crews had orders to remain 20 centimetres (eight inches) away from artworks but it was unclear if the woman had received the directive from the external company that employed her."

Even if she had received such a directive, I think she could be forgiven for mistaking that "tower of wooden slats under which a rubber trough was placed" as art.

Does anyone know why that pile was valued at $1.1M in the first place? I occationally stack junk in piles myself, so I'm kind of interested in the prospect of turning that habit into a business model...