At 11:53 am, the Titanic departs on its fateful journey. At 6:45 pm, revelers gather at a party in Holly Golightly’s apartment. At midnight, Big Ben explodes as fireworks light up the London sky. Even just a few miscellaneous moments like these make it clear that Christian Marclay’s The Clock isn’t your typical timepiece. Though the artwork does function as a literal, working clock, the way it indicates the 1,440 minutes of the day is a bit different from a standard wristwatch or mobile phone display.
The Clock is a 24-hour single-channel montage constructed from thousands of moments of cinema and television history depicting the passage of time, excerpted and edited together to create a functioning timepiece synchronized to local time wherever it is shown. It marks the exact time for the viewer for a full day, weaving together Marclay’s interests in collage and found visual and aural artifacts with his roots in live performance.
Christian Marclay, Detail from The Clock, 2010, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by Steve Tisch through 2011 Collectors Committee, © Christian Marclay, courtesy White Cube, London and Paula Cooper Gallery, New York
The work is the result of three years of meticulous research and production by Marclay and his team, who combed through an enormous archive to collect every usable clock, watch, and reference to time they could find, then seamlessly edited roughly 12,000 clips into a graceful audio-visual flow. The excerpts come from pieces of media from all genres and levels of notoriety, which means that when you watch The Clock, you’ll encounter a dynamic range of narratives, genres, historic depictions, and characters within the span of a few minutes. Immersing yourself in the spectacle, you’ll be able to recognize iconic moments from cinematic history and discover ones that are new to you.
The Clock was previously on view in Los Angeles in 2015 at LACMA, where it will now return for the first time in more than 10 years from July 26 through August 23, 2026. This includes two special 24-hour screenings: the exhibition will open with the first (Saturday, July 25, 7 pm, through Sunday, July 26, 7 pm) and close with another 24-screening (Saturday, August 22, 7 pm, through Sunday, August 23, 7 pm). Tickets for these screenings include general admission to all LACMA galleries during regular operating hours. From Sunday, July 26, through Sunday, August 23, The Clock will be on view during regular museum hours and is included in general admission.
Christian Marclay, Detail from The Clock, 2010, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by Steve Tisch through 2011 Collectors Committee, © Christian Marclay, courtesy White Cube, London and Paula Cooper Gallery, New York, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA
There’s no bad time to enter, and visitors can stay for as long or as little as they like, though you’ll have to rejoin the queue to re-enter. You can find more about Christian Marclay’s The Clock and book your tickets to the 24-hour screenings July 25–26 and August 22–23 now. Entry to The Clock is first come, first served and a reservation does not grant immediate entry, since space is limited, though LACMA members receive priority access as well as entry to Member Previews July 23–25.
