Best Art Exhibits In LA This Summer
Take advantage of the longer and warmer days to catch some of the new exhibits at local museums and galleries. Paintings and photograph collections, from local and international artists, both past and contemporary, will be available through the summer for you to peruse and admire. Below are just five showcases that will send you home feeling delightfully savvy and cultured.
"Crush"
18th Street Arts Center
1639 18th St.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
(310) 453-3711
May 19
www.18thstreet.org
At "Crush," you can enjoy wine, art and food while at the same time benefiting the Artist Residency program at 18th Street Arts Center. Your money will provide you with an unlimited sampling of more than 50 unique wines and food tastings from some of LA's top chefs and restaurants. The event includes live music, access to artist studios, art exhibits and a preview of an upcoming exhibition by Alexandra Grant. Those who purchase a VIP ticket will be admitted an hour earlier and have access to special wine and cocktail tastings.
"War Photography – Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath"
Annenberg Space for Photography
2000 Avenue of the Stars
Century City, CA 90067
(213) 403-3000
Now through June 2
www.annenbergspaceforphotography.org
The Annenberg Space for Photography presents 150 images of war going back to 1887 and extending to contemporary times. The images are arranged to present both the military and the civilian points of view of war, and everything that is related to it – daily living in war zones, the actual fighting, hospitals, death and so forth. The exhibit includes a short documentary entitled "The War Photographers," which presents the work of six renowned war photographers and well as interviews in which they share their experiences while taking the shots.
"Resplendent Dress from Southeastern Europe: A History in Layers"
Fowler Museum at UCLA
308 Charles E. Young Drive N.
Los Angeles, CA 90095
(310) 825-4361
Now through July 14
www.fowler.ucla.edu
This exhibit at the Fowler presents 50 awesome garments that girls in rural southeastern Europe (Macedonia, Croatia, Albania, Hungary and several other countries) created by hand around the turn of the 1900s to present themselves as potential brides. Their colorful and meaningful creations are full of elements that would tell a viewer, without needing a word, about the girl's marital status, her religion, her social position and so forth. A hundred other items are part of this exhibit, such as vests, aprons, jackets and more.
"In Focus: Ed Ruscha"
J. Paul Getty Museum
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 440-7300
Now through Sept. 29
www.pacificstandardtimepresents.org
This exhibit looks into Ed Ruscha's favorite photographic subject – the gorgeous City of Los Angeles. Some of the never before publicly seen photos displayed here are recent acquisitions by the Getty, including prints and materials from the artist's self-published books and contact sheets. This showcase is part of "Pacific Standard Time Presents," which will celebrate LA's architecture through the summer of 2013.
Latin American Galleries
LACMA
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 857-6000
www.lacma.org
This is a great time to re-visit the Latin American Galleries at LACMA, which were recently re-installed to include new pieces from the Spanish colonial, modern and postwar periods. About 50 new works are now making LACMA one of the most important collectors of Spanish colonial art in the United States. These works present images by Mexican artists and from other countries depicting the initial formation of schools, the interracial mixing between Amerindians, Africans and Spaniards and the use of new materials, formats and techniques in art. The galleries were also expanded with about 80 samples of modernist Mexican silver jewelry and some postwar geometric art created by South American artists.
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Dena Burroughs is a freelance writer living in Azusa, CA. She is a CSULA graduate with specialties in Creative Writing and Communications. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.
