Under the Dangling Orbs

Pavilion at the entry to the California Science Center

I don't know what the golden balls signify, but they sure are pretty. ;-)

Enjoy!!!

Never Twice the Same

Three Squares Gyratory (1971) by George Rickey, with the Getty Museum in the background.

Why do I so love visiting museums, art galleries, and botanic gardens?

The easy answer would be that I like looking a beautiful objects. That's true, but there's more to my adoration. Perhaps, it's about change. The concept is pretty easy to grasp when you think about the gardens; each month has a different set of flowers, different colors, and different scents. Although it's the exact same place that I might have visited a few weeks back, the subtle changes make for a vivid new experience.

Likewise, the way in which art galleries cycle through exhibits, it requires effort to see the same show twice. Yet, with most museums, asides from temporary exhibitions, the collection doesn't really change. So, why do I get such a thrill from visiting and revisiting such venues?

Detail of Dancer Taking a Bow (1877) by Edgar Degas


Because I and my circumstances change, the cultural venues speak to me in different ways, capture my imagination afresh with novel insights. My moods and interests shift from day to day, week to week, altering me in subtle but significant manners. Just as the changing of flowers makes it so that a botanical garden is never twice the same, so too is it that my personal changes make each viewing of a stable museum collection a unique experience.

Sharp Teeth, Bite!!!

Crocodile head from an Iatmul spirit canoe (Papua New Guinea, 20th c.)

It's been a while since I've visited the Bowers Museum, down in Santa Ana. I decided to remedy the situation with a few hours of strolling through the "Spirits and Headhunters: Art of the Pacific Islands" exhibition. I had seen this show previously, but it's an excellent exhibit, well worth revisiting.

I didn't have enough time to check out the various gold-related shows. So, I imagine that I'll be heading back there sometime soon.

Human tooth necklace (Vuasagale) from Fiji, 18-19th c.

But, really, with Fire Dance masks, spirit objects, diverse weaponry, and numerous gruesome works, I could spend the whole day looking at the Pacific Island exhibition.

Portrait of a Man

Portrait of a Man (c.1470-75) by Hans Memling, on exhibit at the Norton Simon Museum

I was able to attend opening night for the Norton Simon Museum's showcase of Hans Memling's Portrait of a Man, on loan from the Frick Collection. This show will be running until April 30, 2012.

I'm not big on Northern Renaissance art, but Memling is interesting. He certainly transcends the flesh, capturing the subject's personality or mental state. The portrait on view is well worth checking out, subtle but compelling. And the other Memling on view, Christ Giving His Blessing, which is a part of the permanent collection, is also quite excellent.

Here are a couple photos from tonight.

The exhibit spotlights Memling in context with other 15th century artists.



Opening Night for Memling's Portrait of a Man


Enjoy!!!

To Live and Paint in LA: Opening Night

Opening Night at the Torrance Art Museum's exhibit "To Live and Paint in LA"


Just a brief post.

Yesterday night was the opening for "To Live and Paint in LA" at the Torrance Art Museum, featuring the work of about thirty Los Angeles-based artists. The premise is to explore a broad sampling of emerging and contemporary painters, through which one may discern various styles and aesthetic trends that characterize the creative vibe of today's Angeleno art scene.

I was only able to pay a quick visit and snap a few shots, but there was a good range of styles, with many distinct artistic voices. It's my hope to pay the TAM a return visit in a few days and take a good, long appraisal of the exhibit.

Many are the pieces that caught my eye; I'd like to share them with you. ;-)

Detail of Les Femmes D'Alger #14 (2011) by Asad Faulwell

Enjoy!!!

Banality & Kitsch

Italian Woman (1986) by Jeff Koons


Let's wish Jeff Koons a Happy 57th Birthday.

I've put up a few posts over the last year featuring his work. That's not because he's really a favorite of mine, but, rather, because LACMA has an awesome selection of his works. Seriously, as an avid enthusiast of Los Angeles museums, how could I not share with my readers the entertaining works on display in town? After all, somebody Googles up "Balloon Dog" images every week or so. ;-)

A while back, I found Koons' work to be totally devoid of artistic value. Sure, they were entertaining with Pop reference or crass boldness, but, beyond the chuckle or moment of bemusement, there was nothing deeper than a brief sensation. His works were shallow.

St. John the Baptist (1988) by Jeff Koons

I've since changed my opinion. I still find his work to be amazingly shallow, but I think there is artistry in provoking a laugh. It takes a certain type of genius to put a pig and a penguin with St. John the Baptist. Is it kitschy? Yes. But it's also playfully creative, imaginative.

There's a talent in designing the sensational.

Modernism in Art and Dance

Angel of the Americas (2005) by Perez Celis, on view at the Museum of Latin American Art

Last weekend, I paid another visit to the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) to see their exhibit, MEX/LA: "Mexican" Modernism(s) in Los Angeles 1930-1985, which I had seen briefly on a previous visit. The works on display were very thought-provoking.

This time, I took a leisurely stroll through the galleries, giving the pieces great consideration, both as regards their individual qualities and as regards their contribution to the overall premise of the show. Curation is often times like constructing an argument, beginning with a thesis statement, then laying out statements and evidence of support. An exhibition ought to be every bit as conceptually tight as a refined work of rhetoric or logic.

The MEX/LA show covers a wide range of artists, styles, and eras, but it succeeds in showing various approaches to the expression of a cultural construction. It's both aesthetically and intellectually engaging.

Portrait of the Artist as the Virgin of Guadalupe (1978) by Yolanda Lopez 

While I was at the show, a live dance performance by the Regina Klenjoski Dance Company took place within the galleries. I didn't know such an event was scheduled. So, it was a pleasant surprise for me. ;-)

South Bay Focus: Torrance Wrap

End of Day (2011) by Michelle Ardeshiri


The Torrance Art Museum's exhibit, South Bay Focus 2011, closed yesterday. It was a fun show, lots of interesting art, and much to think about in regards to curation and the premise of a community art gallery. Overall, I feel that this year has been good down here in Torrance, finishing with artistic gems from our local artists.

This blog owes a huge debt of gratitude to Torrance. Although I've got plenty of interests and opinions, I have a hard time focusing on a specific topic, a fact about which regular readers are well aware, but having a thought-provoking art institute along my daily travel route kept the fine arts as a regular topic on my mind. When I finally got Paideia into regular production, back in April, covering art shows became a prominent feature.

Have all of the 2011 TAM exhibitions been excellent? No, but the approach to curation was always worth considering. Given concerns of budget and resources, availability of artists, and community expectations, the manner in which Torrance has experimented with its exhibits has shown ingenuity and innovation. Special credit goes to the curator, Max Presneill.

Detail of Cascading Red (2011) by Nicolas Kolesnikow

I'm very thankful for the various exhibitions that have been displayed at Torrance this year; I look forward to next year's offerings. From Gateway: Japan to South Bay Focus, it's been fun.

Opening Night at South Bay Focus

Olga Lah's Untitled sculptures made out of sponges were a crowd favorite.

As promised, I attended the Torrance Art Museum's Opening Night for their current exhibit, South Bay Focus, featuring works from local artists. It was a fun night.

The exhibition's Juror, Carl Berg, led a tour of the displayed artworks. Given the extreme range of styles and technique on display in this show, it was interesting to think about the underlying curatorial selection process which brought together such an interesting variety into a coherent exhibition. I was impressed with the results.

Ibex (aka Rock Bock) (2010) by Andrea Kitts Senn

I'll have to pay another visit to take a leisurely, quiet viewing of the show. Fun stuff!!!

Victorian Christmas at the Banning House

Clipped Hedges in the garden at the Banning House

This weekend, I was able to pay a visit to the Banning Museum in Wilmington, near the Port of Los Angeles. The museum was throwing a "Victorian Christmas" event, with a horse-drawn trolley, period dancing, hot cider and snacks, and general holiday cheer.

Phineas Banning was a 19th-century Los Angeles businessman, specifically involved in transportation, freighting, and the stage coach industry. His drive to establish a world-class port in Los Angeles was instrumental in laying the groundwork from which the city would grow into a major center of global commerce.

Victorian dancing, featuring the Yesteryears Dancers


The Banning House is now a museum, showcasing California Victorian style and culture. It's an interesting place to visit. And the hot cider was a nice touch. ;-)

South Bay Focus

Ranchiro Palas Verdes Lighthouse on Cliff (2010) by Elizabeth Hestevold


Throughout the year, the Torrance Art Museum has featured engaging exhibitions from artists across the globe. The curation has been aggressive in creating an aesthetically stimulating vision for this small, community venue.

It's been a fine series of shows, successfully engaging local art enthusiasts in considering the potentialities of curation within the civic context. I have been impressed and inspired by both the process and the results of this artistic exploration.

However, one of the critical roles of a "community" museum is to showcase the workings of "community" artists. And that's the premise of South Bay Focus 2011. Local artists have been selected to express their own artistic vision and, as an aggregate, to delineate the "South Bay" style.

South Bay Focus will be on exhibit at the Torrance Art Museum until December 16.

I haven't been able to give the show a full viewing just yet, as the official opening isn't until this Saturday, but my quick glimpse revealed plenty of interesting works. I'm hoping to attend the opening reception this weekend to get a better view of the exhibition. It'll be lots of fun ;-)

The Way of Rain (2011) by Rency Punnoose


Enjoy!!!

Concours d'Elegance

Exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum celebrating the life and career of Phil Hill

Although the stereotype of American automotive racers is that of brash and impatient "alpha" males, the first great American-born international champion, Phil Hill, was a reflective and quiet man.

Not only did he excel on the race course, back in the days of motor mayhem and high driver fatalities, but he also dedicated himself to restoring classic cars, preserving the material history of automotive culture. Long after his Grand Prix championship was in the rear view mirror, Hill continued to promote vintage vehicles.

In fact, his influence as a "car man" may be more lasting in his work with classic cars than in racing for Ferrari or Ford. Certainly, the Pebble Beach Concourse d'Elegance, one of the most important events for antique auto enthusiasts, would be far less prominent, if not for the high profile support that Hill provided over the years.

In celebration of the fifty year anniversary since Phil Hill won the Formula One World Championship, the Petersen Automotive Museum is hosting an exhibition, showcasing both sides of his contribution to the automotive world: the cars in which he raced and the vintage treasures that he restored.

1962 Ferrari 250 GTO; debuted at 12 Hours of Sebring in 1962

The cars were so awesome, I felt significantly cooler just standing next to them. ;-)

To Find a Matching Teapot

Doubled Handled Bowl (1987) by Beatrice Wood


For much of the history of western art, the "lowly" potter's craft has been overlooked, dismissed as mere decoration, as if ceramics were little more than playing with mud, expressing no "higher" aesthetic values.

American pottery of the mid-20th century challenged that ignorant and elitist frame of mind. And no place was more trendsetting and innovative than Southern California. One of the most distinctive ceramic artists was Beatrice Wood, who amazingly had learned the craft in her late 40s!!! According to the story, she was looking for a teapot to match a pair of lusterware plates, but couldn't find one. So, she decided to learn how to craft one for herself, beginning six decades of amazing luster glaze ceramic masterpieces.

Currently, the Santa Monica Museum of Art is exhibiting "Beatrice Wood: Career Woman - Drawings, Paintings, Vessels, and Objects" as part of the Pacific Standard Time event. It is a comprehensive display covering a wide selection of styles and themes that Wood had developed over the decades. Moreover, there are some really obscure works on display, such as her drawings or journals, which rarely receive viewings, providing rich insights into her creative process.

Luster Chalice with Ten Handles (1982) by Beatrice Wood

But the main draw for me were the alluring lusterware vessels. They have a dazzling faerie glamour that catches the eye, bringing to mind tales of magic and high heroics.

A (Sculpture) Garden in Pasadena

Sculpture Garden at the Norton Simon Museum


A Garden in Pasadena (Lines 39 to 48)
(By John Hollander)

Flowering trees, perennial anthologies
     Of the outcry of color against
Versions of green, calculated plots of bright shrubs
     Empebbled, flowers of rhetoric
Blaring the brightest colors of unburning fire-
     All these compose themselves in evening
Calm, even at noon, or soon after. When the light
     Has weight, and when the undimmed music
Still taking place here comes to a consonant sigh,
     Wind roughs up the grass, and petals shake.


I know, Hollander's birthday was two days ago, but, since I visited a garden in Pasadena yesterday, it seemed like a shame to not share a snippet of his poetry in this post. ;-)

Rock Form: Porthcurno (1964) by Barbara Hepworth

The Norton Simon Sculpture Garden has a lovely selection of works arranged around a charming pond. I could spend an afternoon relaxing in this peaceful enclave of Art.

Dialogue between Wind and Waves

Point Vicente Lighthouse


Jutting into the Pacific Ocean, the Palos Verdes peninsula reaches its southwestern limit at Point Vicente, where the old lighthouse looms along the bluffs.

On a clear day, the view is gorgeous, the Pacific stretching out without end beyond the horizon, punctuated only slightly by the isle of Santa Catalina across the channel. But on a gray day like this, the dark sea merges into the leaden sky, and you feel as though you are standing at the World's End, only mist and darkness extending forever into a formless void. The waves murmur over one hundred feet below, an anxious chorus that echo across this forlorn scene.

It is on a day like this that you expect to witness the "Lady of the Light" strolling along the cliffs. Yes, true to type, the Point Vicente lighthouse is rumored to be haunted. But it's only a trick of the light. ;-)

Point Vicente was named in 1790 by Captain George Vancouver

Tearing myself away from morbid fantasies, I turned to the Point Vicente Interpretive Center to see the teaching facilities for marine biology.

Between the Blocks and Buildings

Build Boom Bust (2011) by Brian Cooper

The Torrance Art Museum is currently showing Cities: Visionary Places, curated by Camilla Boemio and featuring a wide variety of artist. The premise is based upon the exploration of the Urban Streetscape as a source of aesthetic inspiration, be it from the Beautiful, the Banal, or the Sublime. The works range in style and form including video works alongside paintings and photography. I found it to be an interesting collection.

My favorite piece on exhibit is Jeremy Kidd's Ruby City 1, which offers upon a dream-like image of nocturnal downtown Los Angeles. The photo seems to portray a twisting space, imbued by a subtle crimson light. Without the presence of people within the weird urban scene, it has a haunting presence.

Detail of Ruby City 1 (2008) by Jeremy Kidd

I had recently seen some of Jeremy Kidd's work at the Leslie Sacks Contemporary show, Perception, in late June. His work really challenges the viewer's conceptions of spatial arrangement. They seem to lose their stability; the cityscape becomes "ungrounded."

But there are many other interesting pieces in this show.

Art and the Transience of Youth

Sarah Barrett Moulton: "Pinkie" (1794) by Thomas Lawrence

I went to the Huntington Museum and Gardens yesterday. I love strolling through the rococo galleries, admiring the gardens, or browsing the library collection. There is so much to do at the Huntington that it really needs multiple days to fully appreciate. The venue itself is huge, with the gardens covering over 120 acres.

Yet, there is a subtle sense of sadness at this museum. It feels so strongly of a bygone era, especially the British portraiture from the 18th century. Even the architecture and the gardens, although gorgeous, have this feel of transience. It is as though the entire venue of one enormous memento mori.

Rudbeckia hirta "Denver Daisy" at the Huntington Botanical Gardens

But the Huntington is filled with amazingly beautiful artwork and flowers. It's probably the "prettiest" of the five "great" Los Angeles museums.

Tiger, Boar, Monkey, and Frog

Netsuke: Tiger by Matsushita Otoman


Just a quick post today. I've been meaning to write about the excellent collection of netsuke at LACMA for the past few weeks, but time slips away. And I've been writing a whole lot about LACMA over the past month, what with the Tim Burton exhibit, the Ai Weiwei Zodiac Heads, and the Jeff Koons sculptures. I kind of feel bad spamming the museum photos.

But I'm pressed for time today and the netsuke deserves some blog love. ;-)

So, here are a few of my favorites on display from the Bushell Collection at LACMA's Japanese Pavillion.

Netsuke: Wild Boar Rooting



On the Surface of an Egg Shell

Reflection on the surface of Jeff Koons' Cracked Egg (Red) at LACMA


It's a holiday weekend, which means that posting will be sparse until Tuesday. Have a great weekend!!!



The Jane and Marc Nathanson Gallery at LACMA featuring Jeff Koons' Balloon Dog and Cracked Egg (Red).

 Enjoy!!!

Remembering the King of Pop

Michael Jackson and Bubbles (1988) by Jeff Koons

Michael Jackson was born on this date in 1958.

There are plenty of photos that I could have featured today, but I decided to showcase Jeff Koons' 1988 ceramic statue. It always makes me feel happy. ;-)



Michael Jackson and Bubbles (1988) by Jeff Koons (Balloon Dog in the background)



Michael Jackson and Bubbles (1988) by Jeff Koons


 Enjoy!!!