Friday, March 29, 2013

20th Century Los Angeles on Display at the Getty

The Getty is opening two new exhibits on our fair city, one called Overdrive: L.A. Constructs the Future, and the second on the photography of Ed Ruscha.

Starts April 9, as you can see from the graphic. Here's a paragraph from the description:

"This groundbreaking exhibition provides an engaging view of the region's diverse urban landscape, including its ambitious freeway network, sleek corporate towers, whimsical coffee shops, popular shopping malls, refined steel-and-glass residences, and eclectic cultural institutions. Drawings, photographs, models, films, animations, oral histories, and ephemera illustrate the complex dimensions of L.A.'s rich and often underappreciated built environment, revealing this metropolis's global impact."

Man, why do museums have to talk that way--like they're writing a thesis?

I think that all means there will be huge, wall-mounted pictures, as well as videos and scaled-down models of buildings and/or neighborhoods, and other things...maybe posters, ads, souvenirs, etc., all showing us how fast and furiously Los Angeles grew over fifty years. Big big buildings and Googie-style funky places. Fun, cool, exciting stuff.

If you're like me and you remember when the Westin Bonaventure cylinders went up, or the Library Tower, or even when the Music Center was built, you'll probably really love this.

The Ed Ruscha photography is called In Focus, and it also starts April 9 and runs through September. Mid-century gas stations, apartment buildings, the Sunset Strip and Pacific Coast Highway--again, for us Boomers, this is cool. Check the site; there are some special Wednesday afternoon "Curator's Talks" scheduled.

It's all a part of Pacific Standard Time Presents Modern Architecture in L.A., which has exhibits in several other museums as well, including the County Museum of Art, the Hammer, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and several others.

1 comment:

Art in LA said...

These exhibits look very cool ... thanks for the tip!