Actually, convenient, tidy labels can be quite likeable, but I periodically hear people say they hate them, and I guess they have a point.

When people ask me if I’m a vegetarian, I normally say, “I don’t eat red meat or poultry.”

Labeling inherently restricts the identity of something, inserting in the mind certain expectations of what that thing labeled is to be perceived as. When you compare a tree’s leaves to a photo in a book and learn it is an oak, you know what characteristics you’ll find from that point on, as opposed to exploring that tree for yourself. There is less to be discovered.

As a gallery assistant, I have sensed the frustration of some visitors when they don’t see a tag next to a work of art at the Pulitzer. They might want to know whether a painter is Dutch or French, and for some reason, believe this knowledge will enhance their experience. That’s not necessarily so, right?

Talking to Matthias Waschek about the issue, he reminded me that it is the habit for educational institutions, like museums, to classify things, so when we enter a museum-like space, we expect to be told what we’re looking at.

These are tools from the Paleolithic period. This is Nicolas Regnier, Self-Portrait with an Easel, Harvard Art Museum, Fogg Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Eric Schroeder, 1982.116, Photo by Katya Kallsen, President and Fellows of Harvard College.

It was a mindful decision for the Pulitzer (which is not a museum) not to label the Old Masters paintings for a few reasons.

1. The Pulitzer is founded in the Minimalist tradition.

minimalism
Noun
a design or style using the simplest and fewest elements to create the maximum effect

A sign next to an artwork is somewhat intrusive.

2. Instead of viewing the paintings as single specimens, tacked to the walls next to one another, art is purposefully placed in the Ando building to create a wholly visual impression.
 
3. As in the absence of electrical lighting, the Old Masters were originally viewed without labels, and the Pulitzer aimed with Ideal (Dis-) Placements to mimic ways in which the paintings were displayed in the past.

Because of their familiarity with other institutions, people don’t always expect to be left in the dark (pun intended), when they walk into the Pulitzer. Perhaps they are jolted by the fact they are, for the most part, guiding their own tour. Gallery assistants are present to egg on visitors’ musings, but a main point of the Pulitzer is to provide a vessel for self-discovery and not to spoon feed data to its visitors. 

Still, people long for tangible facts. In school we go through exercises of comparing and contrasting things as a way to define them. Part of the fun of looking at art is noticing how it compares to what we know.

Now, this looks more French than Spanish. This is really bad compared to his earlier stuff.

Going into the Pulitzer is intended to be a unique experience. When you at last locate the entrance (perhaps after searching a while for a sign), it might be best to withhold expectations and see it for what it is.
On this detroitarts post, people talk about other aspects of labeling art: http://detroitarts.blogspot.com/2006/05/art-of-labeling.html