Posts Tagged ‘LACMA’

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens and LACMA are both about to come into a little bit of an inheritance.  The private collection of Sidney and Frances Lasker Brody, which is filled to the brim with enviable works, will go up for auction at Christie’s in May.  According to the LA Times’ Culture Monster, The Huntington is set to get a share of the upcoming sale, while LACMA will be the lucky recipient of a 12-by-11-foot mural that the Brody’s commissioned from Matisse.  Go back. Read that again.  They commissioned a mural, called “La Garde,” from Matisse.

The Brody’s served on both museum boards and their collection and their house are both points of pride for art and architecture lovers in Los Angeles.  Christie’s has estimated that the sale will garner $150 million especially considering that they’ll be auctioning off works by Picasso, Giacometti, Braque, and Degas.

Click here, or here, to read more about it.  Wonder if we can afford anything up for auction!

It seems only natural to combine our two first loves – art and food.  Yet that combination is rarely accomplished in a tasteful manner — that is, until recently.

The artist group Fallen Fruit has pioneered a considerable effort that is changing the way we view Los Angeles’s urban landscape, one tree at a time.  Fallen Fruit, founded by Matias Viegener, David Burns, and Austin Young, mapped areas of Silver Lake that have public access to fruit trees — i.e. free, locally grown, organic food.  This project continues to connect those with too much and those with too little of that good stuff.

Fallen Fruit’s next big project is at LACMA and is aptly titled EATLACMA.  Both today and tomorrow, Fallen Fruit will be giving away free fruit trees to kick off their year-long investigation into food, art, culture, and politics.  And keep your ear to the ground as their program unfold seasonally, including the exhibition Fallen Fruit Presents the Fruit of LACMA and day-long event in November.

An apple a day never tasted so good – or so free for that matter.

For more information about Fallen Fruit, click here.  For more information about EATLACMA, click here.

There are only four days before Thanksgiving.  Heaven knows Fine Arts LA has plenty to be thankful for.  Let us count the ways!

The Surging Number of Food Trucks — These bad boys (and girls) are making a presence at practically every art event in Los Angeles through Twitter-based campaigns.  With delicious cuisine ranging from Indian food to gastro pub food to dessert, we want to thank you for saving us on many Saturday nights after downing one too many Grolsch beers.  Thank you, food trucks!

LACMA Film Program – You never fully appreciate something until it’s gone, or until it’s hanging on by a thread just waiting to be cut by the budget police.  Thanks to the wonderful people at Save Film at LACMA, we are fortunate to have the rich film program of classic and international films at LACMA away from its grave.  And we couldn’t be more thrilled by the fact that through this grassroots effort, we will be sitting pretty watching all of our favorite films, at least until June 2010.  Thank you, Save Film at LACMA!

MOCA’s Comeback – One year ago, we were all shocked by the reports that revealed MOCA was teetering on the brink of financial disaster.  And look at ‘em now!  They are keeping their doors open with the help of philanthropist Eli Broad and the work of countless others.  Taking it all in last night at MOCA’s 30th Birthday Party, I was fortunate enough to enjoy a Lemonade red velvet cupcake with the best of them all while catching a preview of their latest show.  Collection: MOCA’s First Thirty Years reveals the best of MOCA’s inventory, the tastes of chief curator Paul Schimmel, and the vision of curators before.  Thank you, MOCA and Eli Broad!

The Broad Stage — Speaking of Eli Broad, there is a lovely contemporary gem on the horizon in Santa Monica – The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage.  The home of dance, theatre, voice, chamber music, film, and spoken word, it is as if the Walt Disney Concert Hall’s little sister is making its claim on the Westside bringing home the best talents without a trip on the 10 freeway. Thank you, Broad Stage!

Gustavo Dudamel – Even before he arrived, this city was crazed about this talented, young man from Venezuela.  As the music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel’s personality, playfulness, and passion have been infused into every portion of his program.  Making grown women (and men) behave like children and professing their crush at any given moment, Mr. Dudamel has taken this city by storm one concert at a time and has caught the attention of everyone including those unfamiliar with classical music. Bienvenido, Gustavo, y mil gracis!

And finally, we are most thankful for you, dear readers…  Without you to check us out daily, to recommend us to your friends, and to Google image search the most oddest things to find our website, we would cease to exist.  So thank you!!

What are you most thankful for?

Image: David Rex Ketchum

The countdown is truly on to throw together your Halloween costume and plans for the evening.  Time’s ticking!  We have a few last minute ideas to point you in the right direction in case you have left it to the absolute last minute.  Tsk, tsk, tsk…

If you really want to be scared without the fake blood or sound effects, the Natural History Museum presents the Spider Pavilion until the beginning of November.  The enclosed habitat that was once the Butterfly Pavilion is transformed into an arachnophobe’s worst nightmare with different species of spiders roaming around for your creeping, crawling pleasure, including the golden silk spider and jewel garden spider.  Please know that all spiders are not poisonous and shy away from leaving their webs, but there is no guarantee that they won’t give you a solid case of the willies.

Playing it low key, probably the most frightening of locales for tonight’s festivities includes a romp through a graveyard at night.  Interested?  Cinespia presents another screening at Hollywood Forever Cemetery and will be showing John Carpenter’s Halloween.  A psychotic slasher film at a cemetery on Halloween?  This is nothing short than traumatic.  Prepare to have someone tuck you in tonight.

Feeling like playing dress-up?  LACMA, Santa Monica Museum of Art, KCRW, and the Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theatre are throwing their own versions of a costume party.  LACMA’s Muse Costume Ball is inspired by the exhibition Heroes and Villains: The Battle for Good in India’s Comic and will be including a lot of art, projections, and music throughout the night while patrons dress up as their favorite hero…or villain.  I’m looking at you, Cruella Deville.  The Santa Monica Museum of Art’s Halla Gala requires a costume or a mask at the very least.  Dress as your secret self, or perhaps another personality from a past life.  KCRW’s Masquerade Ball at the Park Plaza Hotel includes live performances by Sea Wolf and Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros as well as DJs spinning all night long.  And finally, there’s only one word that can describe the festivities that will ensue at Cinefamily’s party: Bollywood.  Take that and run with it there and all the way home.  Happy Halloween!!

This Halloween, there’s bound to be a host of dead actors and actresses milling about the streets of LA – most of whom you’d rather not see again.  One has only to walk down Melrose on a fine, sunny day, though, to see a slew of petite, young women donning over-sized sunglasses, cropped pixie hair cuts, and sleek sleeveless dresses to catch a glimpse of an actress as alive in our culture as ever, both in fashion and general demeanor.  That actress is, of course, Audrey Hepburn.

She, more than any other actor, actress, or celebrity, haunts the Hollywood unconscious on a day-to-day basis.  So it comes as no surprise that LACMA has chosen the Halloween season to present their film series on the legendary starlet, aptly titled “Audrey Hepburn: Then, Now, and Forever.” Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany’s screened earlier last week, but if you missed those, don’t fret: many of her most memorable roles are still to come.  On Friday, Halloween Eve at 7:30 PM is Sabrina, followed by Love in the Afternoon at 9:35 PM.  The following weekend, on November 6, catch showings of Charade and Wait Until Dark. Then on November 7: King Vidor’s epic adaptation of Tolstoy’s War and Peace.  And finally, on November 13, the screening closes with Hepburn’s much-adored musical turn in George Cuckor’s My Fair Lady.

Whether you’re Hepbrun for Halloween or simply Hepburn in everyday life, there’s sure to be some Audrey in you—male or female, young or old, whether you’ve seen her films or not (if you haven’t, your next stop is LACMA on Friday night).  Frankly, it’s downright spooky how much of her spirit still enchants Hollywood and its forthcoming starlets.

“Audrey Hepburn: Then, Now, and Forever” runs until November 13 at LACMA.  To buy tickets or for more information, please call (323) 857-6010 or visit www.lacma.org.

John Baldessari is like that teacher you had in college who had so much to say and was so knowledgeable that he could often argue with his own lessons without so much as a peep from the students in class.  From using text in his pieces to get the point across with gusto to actually giving the viewer not so subtle instruction on how to view and interpret his work, Baldessari may well be smarter than all of us. 

But whether you’re a fan or you’ve got a bone to pick with him, he’ll be speaking with LACMA CEO Michael Govan on Thursday evening, September 24, at 7:30pm at LACMA’s Bing Theatre.  Tickets are free, but reservations are required, so hustle up because this one will probably sell out.  Baldessari will be chatting with Govan about his collaborations with LACMA, the new LACMA logo he’s designed, and about his Magritte and Contemporary Art installation.  I’d do your research now and head to the Bing Theatre prepared.  We know Mr. Baldessari will be. 

John Baldessari will speak with CEO Michael Govan on Thursday, September 24 at 7:30pm at LACMA’s Bing Theatre.  For more information, please call (323) 857-6010 or click here. 

When I first heard about the anonymous, all-female art collective known as Guerrilla Girls, the memory of reading Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto sprang to mind.  Yes, there are some fundamental differences: Guerrilla Girls use art, literature, film, posters, and pop culture to uncover truths about sexism and racism in politics while the guerillas in Bel Canto, a fantastic novel set in an unknown South American country, use brute force, guns, and power to drive their point home.  Both Patchett’s novel (which really, if you haven’t read, you must) and the Guerrilla Girls’ projects end up bringing to light the humanity, or lack thereof, in one-sided political situations.  Where Patchett’s novel deals in hostages and terrorists (and the relationships that develop between them), the Guerrilla Girls deal in creative exposés that serve to ignite debate.   

Another provocative artist collaboration keen on exposing political issues ranging from violence to sexism is Young-hae Chang Heavy Industries, which produces heavily charged political texts.  Working together to form Heavy Industries are Young-hae Chang, who hails from South Korea, and American Marc Vogue.  Their long list of texts includes such titles as “Bust Down the Door Again!,” “Cunnilingus in North Korea,” and Traveling to Utopia: With a Brief History of the Technology.”  Their website offers each text in a myriad of languages from English and Portuguese to Korean, Japanese, and Russian. 

Monday night at LACMA, former curator Lynn Zelevansky will brave both groups (obviously not alongside Patchett’s terrorists) for a conversation about provocative posters, collaborating with other activist-artists, and hopefully something will come up about the Guerrilla Girls’ gorilla masks worn at public events to maintain anonymity.  If only Patchett’s fictional soprano Roxanne Cross could be there to perform…

Lynn Zelevansky’s conversation with Young-hae Chang Heavy Industries and Guerrilla Girls is a free event at LACMA on Monday, September 14 at 7pm.  Reservations are not required.  For more information, please click here.  

LACMA has hosted some big names at their free concerts – their jazz lineup this month alone has included the Amstel Saxophone Quartet, Esther Segovia, and iPalpiti Artists International.  Your iTunes “Purchased” playlist has likely shifted from predictable to properly eclectic thanks to these free concerts!

Performing live (and for free) this Friday night is jazz vocalist Kathleen Grace.  She has made a name for herself by merging folk and jazz sounds and, as a true LA local, she’s finishing her summer tour at LACMA.  Her music is warm, jazzy, and encourages curling up with a glass of red wine… a perfect soundtrack if only it snowed in LA!  While some songs may seem pretty familiar, her voice has a stronger hold than other more breathy, raspy jazz vocalists.  Just as she ends her summer tour, this will be a wonderful concert to bring August to a close – even though it still feels like June. 

As always, the free concerts at LACMA are held at the BP Grand Entrance and are free with no need for reservations!  Click here for more information.  

There is a certain age when writing on walls is somewhat socially acceptable, although parents don’t exactly shriek with excitement when their budding Matisses and Kahlos show artistic talent with markers on the living room wall.  But, imagine it now, a large scale 8′ x 14′ Crayola on plaster drawing already installed.  Give it some time and it could be worth thousands!  For most kids, it isn’t about the finished product; it is the act of drawing on the wall that makes up a majority of the thrill.  It is liberating!  But those were the days, when cupboards weren’t loaded with Magic Erasers and scribbles weren’t loaded with a political statement.

While part of Los Angeles will be working itself into a Gustavo Dudamel frenzy November 8th at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, there will another group of Angelenos in a similar state commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall’s fall that will have a lot to do with drawing on walls and making political statements.  Making a direct connection to our sister city Berlin with live feed, The Wall Project recreates the Berlin Wall by erecting 40 painted panels of ‘wall’ across and near Wilshire Blvd. for three hours that Sunday.  With the exhibition Art of Two Germanys/Cold War Cultures at LACMA earlier this year in the back of our minds, the newly constructed Berlin Wall will be stationed outside of the museum in the 5900 block of Wilshire.  Headed by the Wende Museum and Archive of the Cold War, The Wall Project will divide the city into a temporary East LA and West LA to parallel the Berlin Wall’s division of Germany into East and West.  The Wall Project notes on its website that “led by city officials and international dignitaries wielding sledgehammers, and backed by musical performances, our wall falls, too.”

Both the Angeleno Berlin Wall and remnants of the German Berlin Wall will be painted as part of the commemoration of the original fall.  The LA version of the wall will be divided into two portions.  The ‘Wall Across Wilshire’ will cross the street and will be painted by Shepard Fairey, ArtStorm, and student artists.  The ‘Wall Along Wilshire – Eastside Gallery West,’ will be painted by Kent Twitchell and Berlin-based Thierry Noir and is to remain in front of the 5900 Wilshire building for a longer period of time.  Furthermore, artists on the other side of the Atlantic will be preparing to revamp the remains of the original wall.  All previous works of art have been removed (hmm…)  in order to prepare the original Berlin Wall scribblers to recreate their late 80s – early 90s work.

Be sure you have a marker or paintbrush at hand, it might be time to make history instead of just making your landlord upset.

Angelenos aren’t strangers to coming together during a time of need, especially when local treasures are at stake.  Take Los Angeles Conservancy’s actions to preserve the Ambassador Hotel.  They fought tooth and nail all the way to provide alternatives for LAUSD to build a school while maintaining the integrity of the Cocoanut Grove’s historic home.  Despite all efforts, the hotel was demolished to pave way for a much needed school.  But that promise to preserve and revitalize Angeleno heritage remains not just in terms of architectural structures, but also contributions to LA.

Many of you are aware of the protest  against LACMA’s proposed film program cuts.  Considering LACMA has lost nearly $1 million dollars over the past ten years in this department, this decision was coupled with declining audiences and new forms of film watching.  It seems like an easy way to streamline the budget, right?

We beg to differ.  Launched by Philip Chamberlin in 1968, Ronald Haver and David Shepard screened films to make LACMA’s film program one of the city’s strongest.  Since its inception, the film program at LACMA has brought Hollywood classics and international rarities up close and personal for the denizens of Los Angeles.  Its removal not only make us upset, but ever active.  Even Martin Scorsese had something to say in an open letter to director Michael Goven and LACMA:

“…So I find it profoundly disheartening to know that a vital outlet for the exhibition of what was once known as ‘repertory cinema’ has been cut off in L.A. of all places, the center of film production and the land of the movie-making itself.”

But Scorsese isn’t alone.  Debra Levine and Kathleen Dunleavy launched Save Film at LACMA as quickly as LACMA decided to place their film program on the chopping block.  The LA Times reports that they wrote a letter requesting a meeting with those in charge to discuss: “how critical the LACMA film program is for our community; [to] help find ways to reinstate and enhance the museum’s commitment to film; and [to] present you with our petition.”  That petition, by the way, has 2,190 signatures, their Facebook group has 2,906 members, and their Twitter feed has 184 followers at last count.

Michael Govan and members of Save Film at LACMA will begin conversation come September 1 to talk about reinstating the film program in a ‘popcorn summit,’ which will hopefully require more summit than popcorn.

If anyone is to say they never attended a film screening at LACMA, they don’t have an excuse now.

The program is scheduled to end after “The Classic Films of Alain Resnais,” Oct. 2 to 17.  Here is your invitation to sign the petition.

Video courtesy of Save Film at LACMA