A Tombstone for Wall Text
Tombstones at LACMA's David Geffen Galleries and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Can two data points make a trend? The David Geffen Galleries at LACMA and now the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art have adopted so-called tombstone labels for artworks. That's the kind that gives the bare basics but nothing about the work's backstory or meaning. Early reviews of the Lucas by Matt Stromberg in Hyperallergic and Maximilíano Durón in ARTnews have faulted the absence of interpretative labels. Interpretative labels at the Broad and the Autry Traditionally it was contemporary art museums that favored tombstone labels. But not always: The Broad uses informational labels in its Yoko Ono show. Conceptual art usually depends on the viewer understanding the concept. Museums showing older art, such as the Huntington or the Getty, make extensive use of informational labels. That's why the Geffen's tombstone labels have generated controversy. It's been reported that LACMA cur...
