Writing and Art

Sunday, December 22, 2013

LACMA with Landon

Today I took the train to visit my friend Landon in Los Angeles.   We decided to visit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).  It had been a while since either of us had visited this world-class museum, and we were both impressed with the exhibits.  Before going inside, we checked out the outdoor installation called "Levitated Mass" by artist Michael Heizer, which is a 340-ton granite boulder suspended over a walkway.


Optical illusion!


Another cool installation outside LACMA is "Urban Light" by artist Chris Burden, which is 202 restored street lamps from the 1920s and 1930s.


There's so much art to see at LACMA that it's impossible to take it all in in a single day, but we did our best.  Here we are standing inside some sculptures by contemporary artist Richard Serra.



Probably my favorite installation was Metropolis II, by Chris Burden, which features a fast-paced city environment with little cars and trains zooming around.  When I was a kid, this is what I wanted my room to be like.  Actually, I still want my room to be like this.


Here Landon is standing in front of an installation by artist Bruce Nauman called "For Beginners (all the combinations of the thumb and fingers)".


There was a fantastic exhibit on the films and photographs of Agnes Varda, who is sometimes called "The Grandmother of the French New Wave."  She has been making films for the past six decades.  Her films have covered such topics as the Black Panthers, Chicano Muralists in East LA, and outsider artists.


LACMA has a sculpture garden with a number of large bronzes by Auguste Rodin.





It was an inspiring and educational day at the museum with my friend Landon.