At once a must-see work of art and a breakup-worthy selfie faux pas, LACMA's popular lamp posts can add another bullet point to their resume: temporarily off exhibit.
Chris Burden's "Urban Light," a 2008 installation of restored Los Angeles street lamps, will temporarily be fenced off and cease to illuminate for about two months beginning May 1.
The 202 cast iron lamps will be fenced off for a paint restoration project, according to the Art Newspaper. The Southern California sunshine has bleached the posts' grey paint into an uneven pattern, while other spots have begun to rust. The museum will switch to a new paint system that meets its own preservation requirements as well as California environmental standards.
It's not the first time the late, local artist's beloved entrance plaza installation has gone dark; LACMA flipped the switch on "Urban Light" in observation of 2014's Earth Hour. The solar-powered lamp posts also turn off during the daytime anyway, though visitors are still, of course, welcome to swing, twirl and pose their way between them.
First Runyon and now "Urban Light"—where, oh where will Angelenos be able to get their Instagram fix?
