The cool, distanced way that Ruscha depicts what ostensibly would be a tragic act of cultural and social devastation leads me to the disconcerting question of whether museums have become such overly institutionalized and dehumanized sites that their destruction can be framed in aesthetic rather than emotional terms. Aside from being, and perhaps because of being a masterfully painted work, Rusha's painting acts as a provocative caution against "empty" culture.

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