I don't go to many shows where the backstory is as important as the art, but for "Eye of the Storm", the current site-specific show by Daniel Buren at the Guggenheim, the history is more interesting than the 81 foot mirrored cube that's parked in the museum.

Seems there was a group show at the Guggenheim back in 1971 that Mr. Buren was invited to participate in. He created a 66 foot banner with white and blue stripes that basically cut the museum in half. He says he conceived the project to encourage the other artists to exploit the building's space. But instead of looking to his work for inspiration, the other artists protested that the banner blocked views across the museum. And the night before the show, the banner was removed (which in hindsight, made Mr. Buren's work the star of the show). I imagine the current project is Mr. Buren's way of finding closure, as its mirrored panels partly block the gallery, and clearly allude to this 34 years old story.

The NY Times put it like this "...an event that is possibly familiar to art historians, but that most people will have never heard of or will consider a tempest in a teapot at best." In other words...who cares?

I still recommend the show, though. If nothing else, staring at myself in a huge mirrored cube a couple dozen times made me realize the diet needs to shift into high gear before summer.

Daniel Buren - Eye of the Storm
March 25 - June 8
Guggenheim New York