Opening this weekend is the first major exhibition of Chinese art LACMA has presented since reinstalling its Chinese collection in 2011: Ming Masterpieces from the Shanghai Museum. The exhibition gathers ten incredible court paintings from the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, in addition to a selection of Zhe School paintings—few examples of which are typically seen in American museum collections. The exhibition opens on Saturday to LACMA members, and on Sunday to the general public.
Li Zai, The Daoist Adept Qin Gao Riding a Carp, Ming dynasty, 15th century, Shanghai Museum
Just opened last week in BCAM is Ends and Exits: Contemporary Art from the Collections of LACMA and The Broad Art Foundation, which examines artists and works that emerged in the 1980s, including artists such as Jack Goldstein, David Salle, Sherrie Levine, Barbara Kruger, and Allan McCollum, among many others.
Allan McCollum, Plaster Surrogates, 1984, LACMA, gift of Beatrice and Nathan Cooper, © Allan McCollum
If you’re here on Saturday to see Ends and Exits or other contemporary shows like Walter De Maria: The 2000 Sculpture, don’t miss a special (free) performance inside BCAM by Spanish artist and choreographer La Ribot, Laughing Hole. Starting at noon and lasting six hours, La Ribot’s piece incorporates elements of dance, theater, and performance art, as three women laugh continuously while interacting with the audience and with signs scattered throughout the gallery.
This weekend is also a big weekend for film at LACMA. On Saturday night we present our 12th annual Young Directors Night, in which we’ll screen shorts by seven up-and-coming filmmakers, followed by a wine reception with the directors. Check out our sneak preview here; become a member and add Muse today to save on tickets for this event as well as many other great events all year round (like the annual Muse ‘til Midnight or Costume Ball).
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/31130499]
For more film-related programming—we of course continue to have our Stanley Kubrick exhibition, as well as Masterworks of Expressionist Cinema: Caligari and Metropolis—the latter closes March 10. For Kubrick fans, we are presenting an encore screening of 2001 tonight. The screening is sold out but there will be a standby line forming at 6:30.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/N6ywMnbef6Y]
All weekend we have some great talks lined up, too. On Saturday, Robert Brown, curator of South and Southeast Asian art at LACMA and a professor at UCLA, will lecture on sculptures from ancient Cambodia—incredible, fully developed works that seem to have no predecessors. Then, on Sunday, LACMA’s own CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director Michael Govan will be in conversation with artist Jorge Pardo inside the Art Catalogues bookstore at 4pm. The event is free but seating is limited.
Speaking of our bookstores—up on the plaza outside of the Ming Masterpieces exhibition and Boone Children’s Gallery, we are holding a sidewalk sale all weekend long. You can save up to 50% on great art books, plus we’ve got street banners for past exhibitions on sale for $20–$50—giant images of Frida Kahlo, an Olmec head, a John Baldessari work, and more.
As always, there is plenty for families to enjoy at the museum too. From big sculptures like Metropolis II and Levitated Mass to family-oriented bilingual guided-tours on Saturday morning, to our free Andell Family Sundays and Boone Children’s Gallery—there is always something fun and inviting for kids and their parents at LACMA.
Finally, the weekend concludes with a free Sundays Live performance from cellist Andrew Shulman and pianist Robert Thies, featuring the Los Angeles premiere of Bruce Broughton’s Sonata for Cello and Piano.
Art, film, talks, family activities, or concerts—it’s all here this weekend.
Scott Tennent