Al's Grand Hotel 1971

Allen Ruppersberg made this little time capsule, Al's Grand Hotel. It's like a diorama, or one of those miniature doll houses, only instead of people, there's a flattened tube of paint and an old newspaper inside. It's so cute and sad all at once, you know? The artist must have been thinking about what it means to make art, or what it means to be an artist in the world. There is a feeling that you get when looking at it, as if Ruppersberg is saying something about the everyday life of an artist. This piece could be seen as his unique take on Pop Art, but with a more personal touch. It reminds me of what Kurt Schwitters was doing with his collages, finding poetry in junk. Ultimately, this is about collecting and displaying the overlooked, the mundane. It's a bit of an inside joke, but it's also generous. Like he's saying, hey, we're all in this together, this strange business of making art, and maybe it's not so grand after all.