LA Story #8: The Broad.


Are you ready for a bit more from LA?
I am.  I’m even writing this post dressed in some of my spoils from Camarillo as well as the scarf I picked up at the duty-free on the way out at Sydney International.  Okay, a slight exaggeration.  I’m not just dressed up to write, I was at morning tea at school earlier today.  I made some new friends, reconnected with a few old ones and feel much less anxious about all this change thanks to a few shared laughs.

Before visiting LA, I was woefully ignorant of just how vibrant its arts scene is.  I knew to expect the glitz and glamour of the theatres and sporting auditoriums.

The local papers are a fascinating read for their considered reviews and discussions about film and television.  
And I knew that the papers and magazines would be at saturation point in terms of their coverage of film, music and television.
A rainbow pedestrian crossing on South Grand Avenue.

But I had no idea just how much I would enjoy visiting the galleries here.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall

The level of philanthropy here is astounding when seen through the eyes of a foreigner.  Many of the galleries here are full of donated works from the private collections of some very generous locals.

A food truck parked in front of The Broad.

If you only get the chance to visit one gallery while you’re here, The Broad would be my pick.  Entry is free and it’s a treat for all your senses as well as your mind.  I have absolutely no academic qualifications in art and am not an avid gallery attendee but there was something about The Broad’s collection that got me.  It is such a breathtaking celebration of the diversity of postwar and contemporary art and has been a labour of love for Eli and Edythe Broad for the last five decades.  There are around 2000 works in the collection with about one piece being added to the collection per week.

The Broad – designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensier.

The building is nicknamed ‘the veil and the vault’.  The ‘veil’ being the fibreglass structure that’s visible at ground level which houses the public viewing spaces.  Beneath it is the concrete ‘vault’ where other works are stored.  There is a plaza next to The Broad which houses a grove of 100-year-old olive trees.

I wasn’t the only one eager to visit on chilly weekday evening, a line snaked outside the entrance when I arrived just after five.  It wasn’t a long wait though and the staff were both helpful and friendly in explaining how things worked inside.

I have so many photos.  It was a joy to be able to experience the gallery in person and the works I saw will remain in my heart and mind forever.

Enjoy!

Two view of ‘Tulips’ by Jeff Koons. All is forgiven regarding that collaboration with Vuitton featuring The Masters….
A visual of the Vuitton FYI…
www.vuitton.com
Something caught my eye from every corner of every room.

Textures, pop culture references, icons reimagined, questioning word art…

Some Murakami.

Balloon Dog (Blue) by Jeff Koons.

A train that I will bring Master SSG to see when he’s a bit older.

If you’re so successful, why do you feel like a fake?

Under the Table by Robert Therrien.  A larger than life dining set that you are free to walk under and into but not climb.

Instantly recognizable Warhol.

Camelot reinterprated to sobering effect.

A portrait painted so precisely it looks like a photograph.

Installations that asked me questions I still can’t answer.

One of a series of images of a seemingly mundane scene that I couldn’t tear my eyes away from.

Kara Walker’s silhouettes of the Antebellum South use an artform traditionally celebrated by the ‘genteel white’ of the Southern States of America to ironically and disturbingly portray the racisim and abuse of black men and women of the hands of their white captors.

Untitled by Barbara Kruger … Your body is a battleground.

A statement about South Africa.

A view into the vault and the art treasures it houses.

Skateboards in The Shop at the Broad.  This is LA, after all.

A chess set inspired by the Warhol Campbell’s soup cans.

This is the sidewalk outside The Broad.  Of course, it’s just a bit unusual and out of the ordinary.

Souvenirs from The Broad’s store.

You know that strong stance I have on LOL Surprises?  Well, it doesn’t extend to these Warhol themed surprise tins.

This is what Master SSG discovered when he pulled the ring pull on the soup can and opened the lid of the Brillo one.

The walk back from The Broad down South Grand Avenue is a pleasant one on a winter’s evening.

A view of MOCA on my walk back to the hotel from The Broad.

My afternoon of culture ended with a dinner courtesy of Uber Eats

The Halal Brothers have outposts in LA!  The Koreatown operation delivers Downtown.  FYI.

as Anderson did his thing on CNN.  Say what you will about the current administration, but it is made for both CNN and the nation’s comedians, isn’t it?

Have you visited The Broad? Did you have any other favourite galleries in LA?


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