Summer Exhibitions

LACMA

LACMA’s near acre of new exhibition space, the Resnick Pavilion, means LACMA has a lot of exhibitions to program.  And they seem up to the task.  After the three inaugural shows (Olmec, Fashion, and Eye for the Sensual), LACMA has managed to keep the Resnick Pavilion at full capacity.  There are three shows currently in the space: David Smith: Cubes and Anarchy, Gifts of the Sultan: The Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts, and LACMA’s ticketed blockbuster: Tim Burton.  The shows keep with Michael Govan’s strategy for offering unrelated coinciding shows in the Resnick Pavilion.

Across from the Resnick Pavilion, is Renzo Piano’s other LACMA building, BCAM; it too has been kept full. The top floor is still stocked with Broadworks, the second floor is being deinstalled from the recent permanent collection show Human Nature, and the ground floor just had one of the massive Serra sculptures deinstalled, to make room for a new Burden work, which is going to be AWESOME.

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Carlos Cruz-Diez: Color in Space and Time

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

A tranchromie, you say?—I’ll take five!

While in Houston, I scampered around town looking at as much art as I could with my favorite museum pal Margarete.  This included going to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.  I always enjoy seeing how encyclopedic museums display their collections, Pre-Columbian collections in particular.  Coming from LA, I’m now accustomed to LACMA’s Jorge-Pardo-designed galleries.  The Pre-Columbian galleries at the MFAH are fairly standard, but contain hoards of gold.  This is because the Spanish conquistador, Alfredo Glassello bequeathed his Aztec and Incan booty to the MFAH. Not really, but an oil man and MFAH trustee, Alfred C. Glassell, Jr., did.  “As a life-long collector of Asian, Pre-Columbian, and African art, he donated his excellent and extensive collections to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. These works, primarily of precious gold, are without parallel.”  This would explain the gold rooms, one of Pre-Columbian artifacts, and on the other side of the building, a hall of golden African objects.

SUPRASENSORIAL

Museum of Contemporary Art

There is a pool in this exhibition; do you need more of a reason to go?

I could write about this exhibition, or you could watch this video. Don’t worry; the usual snarky commentary will follow.