William Poundstone has an excellent post on LA MoCA’s misstep this weekend with a mural by street artist Blu that backfired and is leaving everyone unhappy. Poundstone assembles all the relevant information on the work that upset neighbors including a link to this video of the mural being whitewashed shortly after it was finished.

What remains unexplained is whether Deitch and LA MoCA gave the artist a free hand without asking to see what he would produce on the site. Though it isn’t clear either answer would be anything less than embarrassing.

Worse, the event can only add to the controversy surrounding the Smithsonian’s choice to remove a work that also provoked complaints.