LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART (LACMA)
January 13 marked the opening of an exhibition of Modern Art in the newly renovated Ahmanson Building at LACMA featuring the major collection bequeathed to the museum by Janice and Henri Lazarof. While the collection includes paintings and sculptures by a number of artists, the featured works include twenty by Picasso - paintings, drawings and sculptures - covering the years 1905 to 1970, as well as seven bronzes and one painting by the Swiss Artist Alberto Giacometti. Included in this extraordinary and wonderful exhibition are works by Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Constantin Brancusi, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, Lyonel Feininger, to mention a few. This will be a permanent home for the fractional and promised gift of 130 works from the Lazarofs’ collection.
As part of the museum’s recent reinstallation of its modern collection, LACMA will continue its “Art & Music “ concert series with performances inspired by the art of Kandinsky, Klee and Giacometti. The series will also feature the world premiere of Henri Lazarof’s Concerto For Two Pianos, plus works by Stravinsky and Debussy. For more information on the schedule and for tickets, call (323) 857-6010 or go online at lacma.org.
Exciting things are occurring at LACMA these days. Opening Feb. 16th will be the new Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM). This expansion and renovation to the museum was designed by famous architect Renzo Piano. The three-story building will open with 160 works form the Broad Art Foundation, Eli and Edythe Broad’s personal collection and 40 works from other lenders and LACMA’s own contemporary art collection. The BCAM will connect to the newly renovated Ahmanson Building making LACMA one of the finest museums for contemporary art in the world.
At a preview of the opening of the BCAM, I overheard a number of visitors to the museum from New York remark that LACMA was the most beautiful and best museum they had ever visited. Others from New York stated that they wish they could get Michael Govan (LACMA’s Director) to come back to New York! Los Angeles is fortunate to have this wonderful cultural center to enjoy. As much as I enjoy the beauty of the museum and as much as I appreciate contemporary art, I feel remorse at seeing LACMA change by focusing its efforts towards this type of work and away from the past periods of wonderful “old” artists and their contributions to the world of fine art.
Los Angeles Museum of Art - 5905 Wilshire Boulevard - Los Angeles, CA 90036