what have I been up to: Devouring art

There is so much amazing art going on in Los Angeles right now. It is really hard to know where to go on my days off.

What I have seen:
Cuba from Walker Evans to now: At the Getty Center. An amazing collection of photographs of Cuba dictator to dictator, revolution, poverty, landscapes. I was fortunate to be able to see Alex Harris , one of the photographers speak about the 3 series(es) he had featured in the exhibit and how he was able to get access to Cuba, take the photos he took, his inspiration and his work with Walker Evans.
(closes October 2nd)

Tim Burton: At LACMA. Tim Burton not only is a talented director and artist, but probably his own best archivist. I can't believe how much work of his has been saved over the years. It is a fantastic collection of sketches, models, photographs, costume and movie sets and a cute rejection letter. I had almost forgotten the breadth of his movie career Big Fish, a Batman movie, Pee-wee's big adventure (see an earlier post from this month), Mars Attacks (which I watched again on netflix instant) I have always been a fan of Tim Burton, and many of you commented how much I looked like Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice and a young sardonic teenager and still equally love as a sardonic adult.

Note: this is an extremely popular exhibit and a lot of the installations are pages from his sketch books, like 8 x 10, set up in clusters on the wall and it is hard to see w/ so many people around. The exhibit is timed entry and it is best if you go on a week day during the day.

In addition they are featuring his films on the weekends with Q & As with the director and other people who worked on his films.

(closes October 31st) ;)

Art in the Streets : at MOCA- Geffen center. This is one of the first comprehensive exhibitions of graffiti and street art in the US. It traces the history of graffiti/street art from it's inception in New York and how other cities, twisted it, changed it and made it theirs. It raises the questions what is art? is street art and graffiti -art? or is it vandalism? To me it is art and it is political, but I understand that maybe not everyone thinks that way.

What do you think?

This exhibit closes on August 8 and is free on Mondays courtesy of Banksy.

There is one last exhibit that I am dying to see. I hope to report back soon.