The Los Angeles County Museum on Fire 1968

Edward Ruscha created "The Los Angeles County Museum on Fire" using oil on canvas. Now, painting might seem like one of the fine arts, but Ruscha's choice of subject here pushes us to think about material culture in general. Look at the flat, even surfaces, the way the building is rendered almost like an architectural model. This isn't about the gestural application of paint, but about a deadpan, representational approach. The painting suggests the uneasy relationship between art and its institutions. LACMA, as it's known, is a product of a particular place and time: Los Angeles in the 1960s, a boomtown of suburban expansion and car culture. Ruscha has captured this context with a touch of dark humor, setting the museum ablaze. By focusing on the image of the museum, rather than traditional notions of artistic skill, Ruscha challenges the distinction between high art and everyday life. What does it mean to elevate one above the other?