ALYSA PERRERAS | staff writer
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art recently unveiled the newest addition to their 27-acre campus. The astounding architecture of the new Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM) is complemented by elaborate outdoor sculptures, giving attendees a preview for what is in store.
It may be diffi cult to get patrons to even venture to the other parts of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s (LACMA) campus now that a shiny steel tulip sculpture and a giant fi re truck redirect all attention to the new three story building. Most impressive is artist Chris Burden’s work “Urban Light,” a collection of 202 restored and working vintage street lights.
The outdoor lobby area located directly in between the old museum and the new BCAM building brings a sharp contrast. The architecture of the BCAM building alone intrigues you as you take the escalator to the top fl oor and main entrance of what appears to be an extremely trendy storage house. The red beams of the structure brilliantly stand out as you go up the escalator and take in the skyline of the Hollywood hills. “I thought it would be a nice place to spend a day. I feel the building far outweighs what is hanging on the walls in most ways,” Los Angeles resident and BCAM visitor Judy Marshall said. “I would suggest for anyone to come though, because I feel it’s an educational experience and it is nice to look at something you don’t have at your house and make up stories about the art.” The building, which was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano provides LACMA with three stories and 72,000 sq. ft. to display art from 1945 to the present. The loft style galleries, fl oor to ceiling windows and skylit top fl oor provide patrons plenty of room to walk around and refl ect on each piece while enjoying the California sunshine. On the third fl oor, the Jane and Marc Nathanson Gallery is a fascinating modern collection of art very befi tting of the culture of Los Angeles and the Hollywood scene. Complete with a sculpture of Michael Jackson with a golden monkey, a very large wall mural centered on two giant pistols and a thorough Andy Warhol collection the first room leaves you wanting more.
Although some of the rooms contained artwork not exactly suitable for children, the diversity of what was displayed did offer something for most anyone. The mediums were not limited to painting alone but ranged from metal, wood, plastic and fabric as well. All but 30 of the nearly 180 works on view come from the private collection and art foundation of Eli Broad, the Los Angeles entrepreneur who gave close to $60 million toward the new museum’s construction, and his wife Edythe. Kay Kruger, who is from Oregon and is visiting her son in Burbank, always visits LACMA when in Los Angeles and was excited to see the new building.
“It’s a lovely museum. I love the explanatory materials on the wall that give you a deeper understanding of each piece. I like all of it with some exceptions; there are some that do not speak to us,” Kruger said. “It is very well curated.” Artists whose work was on display include names such as Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Ellsworth Kelly, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Although the range of actual art on display is extremely diverse, it is interesting to note that the artists themselves are mostly white males. Of the 29 artists, Basquiat is the only non-white and only four of the artists are women.
On the lower level of the museum, a collection of sculptures from artists such as Richard Serra, Jeff Koons and Cindy Sherman are spread out among several other artists. The collections seem like an artist’s playground. Among the notable artworks, is the three-story mixture of words and pictures in black-and-white mixed with a vivid red by artist Barbara Kruger. Her work lines the wall behind the large glass front elevator shaft, which is big enough for at least thirty people and somewhat resembles a ride at Disneyland.
Robert Therrien’s “Under the Table” piece is simply a dining set dramatically altered to be four times the size of a real life dining set. However, the attention to detail in the work exemplifi es how everyday objects can be transformed into art. The lighting in some of the rooms relied far too much on natural light, causing patrons to strain their eyes. And although some pieces looked more at home and comfortable in the museum while others seemed slightly out of place, the overall appeal of the museum is its ability to bring together so many different works of art from commercial to abstract and so many different expressions and opinions.
“I know I will see a lot of colors and interesting shades. That is why I brought my children, because regardless of your views on art, it is a very creative and stimulating thing,” Armando Galvah, who brought his three daughters, said. “Sometimes modern art can be seen as both abstract and hard to appreciate or kind of pessimistic, but I get the impression this place is a different kind of modern contemporary art.”
The cost of the museum admission is only $8 for college students and is worth the drive into the city. Museum hours and more information about the BCAM can be found at LACMA.org.
