When Harvard commissioned Mark Rothko to paint a mural for their new building it probably seemed like a good idea. But shortly after the famous artist delivered his work the brilliant colors had already begun to fade. Why? That's the story we're telling this week on Bad Ideas.

Some of this episode information came from:

Mark Rothko: a Biography by James E. B. Breslin: https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Rothko-Biography-James-Breslin/dp/0226074064#customerReviews

Watching Them Turn Off the Rothkos By Louis Menand: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/watching-them-turn-off-the-rothkos