I believe it is a fair assumption that 'simply asking' would entail all sorts of red tape the UnterGunthers simply weren't interested in; after all, Monum would want all sorts of assurances that the restorers wouldn't mess up things, insurance would have to be organized, assessments made &c (Which, don't get me wrong, are all not just reasonable demands, but really what any responsible authority SHOULD do in such cases.
I suspect that would simply take all the fun out of it. So, Monum's stance is definitely valid, as is, in this particular case, at least, UnterGunther's.
And the less is spoken of the guerilla gorilla Jesus [0], the better.
I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that it would take the fun out of it even tho thats undoubtedly true. I think they had no reasonable chance of matching any requirements on paper and it would just end up keep getting neglected. Its a situation without good outcomes as long as you stay inside the guiderails.
And as for that Botched restauration I think the less politically correct term for it was "monkey with down syndrome" at the time. :)
People do unfun things if they belive the results are worth it. I get the vibe here that it was simply impossible to get this done above board because of a deadlock situation.
I suspect that would simply take all the fun out of it. So, Monum's stance is definitely valid, as is, in this particular case, at least, UnterGunther's.
And the less is spoken of the guerilla gorilla Jesus [0], the better.
[0] https://news.artnet.com/art-world/botched-restoration-of-jes...