I feel the exact same after eating Chipotle as I do after visiting the Guggenheim.
In Chipotle’s case, I get about ¾ of the way through a burrito and I’m full. The remaining disfigured chunk isn’t worth saving for another meal (nor do I want to waste it) so I regretfully force myself to finish it.
About ¾ of the way up the Guggenheim, there's an interesting area to eavesdrop: It’s the point where many visitors either complain or show signs of chipotle-like lethargy. The exhibitions are not larger than elsewhere and I doubt the slight incline accounts for the exhaustion. My theory is simply that the Guggenheim is one big line. I feel obligated to examine and consider every piece. By the time I realize I won’t have the energy to give 100% of my attention to every piece it’s too late – I'm full before the pocket of guacamole.
I think museum shows need to achieve one of two things: put an artist, movement or style in context with an external environment (artist, historic, political...) OR put an artist/group within his/her/their OWN context by demonstrating that a given body of work means something more than any single piece.
The evolution within Kandinsky's work makes a great story and the Guggenheim proves that it is the space to tell it. It’s as if the Guggenheim was built for Kandinsky. Which really… you could argue it was*.
Not only does Kandinksy make an interesting story about the gradual push of abstraction beyond visual observation (or the first painter so slowly and entirely lose his grip on representation) but the structure of the Guggenheim does two things:
1. It puts the show in a line. It forces you to look at every piece, to understand that even if you don’t LIKE every piece that every piece is important in telling this story.
2. The Guggenheim is a spiral –so whenever you turn around and look across the chasm, you see one level below and above - a preview of what’s to come and a reminder of what came before.
You can compare a group of paintings in front of you and then turn around and contrast them with what came slightly before and after. And THAT is why I love this show. But I still needed a nap.
As for Chipotle:
I’ve found the only solution is to cut the burrito in half and put it away before unwrapping it.
Below is a section from a 2004 press release from The Guggenheim. Read the full text here.