Mass MoCA VS. Büchel: Who Really Won?

On Friday, a judge ruled that the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art could show Christoph Büchel's unfinished installation, "Training Ground for Democracy." The museum and the artist have been butting heads since the collaboration fell apart earlier this year, with the museum claiming that it should be able to show whatever was completed and Büchel arguing against the exhibition, citing the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990, a purpose of which is "to prevent any intentional distortion, mutilation, or other modification of that work which would be prejudicial to his or her honor or reputation." The judge said that an unfinished artwork like Büchel's isn't protected by VARA.

I'm actually not sure where the blame lies for this extraordinary mess. It's easy to imagine that, as the museum claims, Büchel was a difficult divo who drove up the cost of the installation from $160,000 to around $300,000. But it's just as easy to believe that, as Büchel claims, the museum didn't listen to him and caused costs to skyrocket.

But what I am sure of is that the outcome has produced an ironic dichotomy: The museum may have the law on its side, but its image has suffered a body blow, and this fiasco is likely to haunt it. And while the court may have sided against Büchel, the artist has gotten a lot of free PR, as art blogger Lee Rosenbaum also notes. It's likely that people who had no idea Büchel existed are now aware of his work. Like the judge. According to a blogger in the courtroom, he said that despite being skeptical about the work and not knowing much about contemporary art, he was extremely moved by Büchel's piece.