Do Explanations Help Art?

“It is a commonly held view in the art world that the public resists conceptual work because it is difficult to understand. Its reputation for being pretentious and “not as good as painting” would improve, they argue, if it were properly explained. In many exhibitions – the pavilions at the Venice Biennale this year being one example – reams of text, and even books, are handed out to visitors to help them interpret what they see.”