Lights out.

• Author: Mangu-Ward, Katherine
• Position: Artifact - Brief article

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FELIX GONZALEZ-TORRES, who died of AIDS in 1996, intended the warm incandescent bulbs in his 1993 installation Untitled (Strange Music) to burn out and be replaced, part of a cycle of expiration and renewal. To substitute long-lasting, environmentally friendly compact fluorescent bulbs would change the piece beyond recognition. But that's just what the European Union expects gallery owners, curators, and contemporary artists to do.

European Parliament Directive 2005/32/EG banned the sale and importation of 100-watt incandescent bulbs starting September I, with lower wattages phasing out over time. There is no exception for artists or museums, and getting caught selling wasteful old-style bulbs brings a whopping $70,000 fine.

Sales of incandescent bulbs were up 150 percent in the E.U. in August, but hoarding isn't a viable option to protect the...