Pictures Without (Too Many) Words

I'm sure you are by now acquainted with this site. Unusually for FBC! today's post will mostly show you images.

FBC! has been AWOL for about a week, having a guest in town until yesterday and the stomach flu since last night.
I'll refer you to FYA for your weekly social life events, and will write more once the nausea and cramps are over.
And I'll remind you, because it is not on FYA, that on May 3rd, Julie Lequin will give her last performance (or so) in Los Angeles at Raid Projects. Go en masse!
FBC! will try to be there.
Before that, be well and don't catch that silly bug. And, no, you don't need to go to that Murakami opening, nor to the Gregoy Crewdson (though I'd pick him up over TM) one. But Julie Lequin, yes.

My Trip To BCAM by artist Vincent Johnson

After the delightful Annie Oelschlager, FBC! is overjoyed to introduce a new contributor, the LA-based artist Vincent Johnson. You can currently see Vince's work in Santa Monica at the Patriot Acts show, or look online a past show at LAXart.
Meanwhile, Vince was kind enough to send me an email about his BCAM visit and let me publish it here. Here are his comments after seeing BCAM and reading about it in various newspapers and online magazines.

"Upon entry into BCAM through its 3rd (top floor) galleries, I feel that the current show is far too narrowly focused on New York in the 1980's. The opening show should have been a celebration of the art made in California since the 1950's to the present. I do see a positive reason for this part of the show - especially the Koons pieces - as most of LA would not have seen this work, unless they flew to NYC regularly, since it comes out of NYC gallery shows from the late 70's through the mid-1980's before it became a part of contemporary art history.

If this exhibition were in NYC in a museum context, it would not be well received, for the reasons I have already described. This is more like a show that the Houston or Seattle or Portland artworlds need to see than the LA artworld. I am stunned to not see California video art as a apart of this show.

Where are the surprise gems that Broad collected that do not come out of this moment of contemporary art history?

If there was an interest in fully portraying the NYC artworld of 1977-1986, there is a huge amount missing, especially the German painters Sigmar Polke and Anselm Kiefer, both of whom were as inportant at that time to the NYC artworld as Schnabel, Fischl, Salle, Goldstein, Sherman, et al. I know this because I was living in NYC during this time and visiting it often when not living there, before coming to California in 1986. The Holzer's are from after the 1977-86 period, which is odd, since her artistic formation occurs at that time, and the electronic signboards and carved stools come much after her straight to the point small text pieces that were scattered throughout NYC on mostly urban, but not museum surfaces.

The Serra is phenomenal on the first floor, but there is still not enough room to view the piece from distance. Same goes for the Tony Smith at the bottom of the staircase in one of the other galleries.

I wonder if the BCAM space will ever be used to house a permanent collection. It seems perfect for traveling shows, but does not have the jewel boxes that one finds in permanent collections, such as what already exists at the Art institute of Chicago, (their Joseph Cornell rooms are incredible, for example). The AIC is building a Modern Art Wing that opens next year. Like BCAM, it is also designed by Renzo Piano, but the Modern Wing's budget is 373 million dollars, as versus 56 million dollars for BCAM.

The Art Institute of Chicago says that it has the third most important collection of Modern Art in the world, behind only MOMA and the Pompidou. Even if Broad donated his entire collection to LACMA, this would not cause LACMA's Modern collection to be ranked anywhere near the other museums I've just mentioned.

So again, if it is MOMA and now The Art Institute of Chicago that will be the home to the study of Modernism in this country, what role does LACMA's BCAM actualy play besides being a showcase like the Martin Gropius Bau in Berlin?

Lastly, BCAM shows that LACMA should be torn down and built anew from scratch. There are too many competing interests represented, and the museum overall has the feeling of being more disjointed than ever, as one moved from the luxurious to the unfortunate and embarrassing spaces in the museum.

The Financial Times of London has the best observations about BCAM I've read online.

The NYTimes does not hate all of LA. When the Disney Concert Hall opened it was hailed by them as the best symphony in the best concert hall in America. But it does expect LA to play ball at the world stage standard in the field of visual art, to match its standing as a center of art production."

Vincent Johnson, Feb. 2008.

Picture of Renzo Piano's BCAM model via this site.

Norms, La Cienega On Fire, 2008 Edition

You Edward Ruscha fans of course all know his 1964 masterpiece, The Los Angeles County Museum On Fire, currently (and probably forever) hanging at the Hirshhorn in DC. It has a lesser-known little brother (or sister, depending on which side of the Gorilla Grrls you're standing on) called Norms, La Cienega on Fire, belonging to the Broad Art Foundation.
It depicts a defunct La Cienega branch of what was a classical googie-architecture diner on fire, as its title indicates. There is still one Norms on Pico boulevard, well-known for being open 24-hour and serving cheap (but alas, not very good) breakfasts.
So it was only fitting that after the post-BCAM opening extravaganza brunch at the Broad Art Foundation, my pal Daniel and I stopped at the real Norms for a (sub-standard) meal. I felt like entering an Edward Ruscha painting to discover inside a Dan Graham photograph (see pictures above).

Your truly hasn't seen BCAM yet and is waiting for a bit of the madness to calm down before getting there so there will be a couple of weeks before I can post veni, vedi, scripsi*. In the meantime I'm having artist Vincent Johnson give us his opinion in a subsequent post.
Anyway, before seeing LACMA getting flamed over Eli Broad and his collection and his new building there as in the Ruscha painting, Daniel and I headed over to the Broad Brunch in sunny Santa Monica. Every year there's a bash to celebrate the new installation of the collection showcasing some of the new acquisitions. So, ground floor: all Andreas Gursky. Not my cup of tea, you give me Thomas Ruff any day instead, but I've always liked his 99cents store picture (so LA!). There are a couple early photographs in the pure hardcore, post Bernd & Hilla Becher style installed at the Broad that really show how Gursky was talented if derivative before going all commercial in his photoshop-retouched monumental arrangements. The Becher were presents in the installation, as was Struth on a different floor with some continuation of his "museum viewers" series. I didn't see any Ruff though.

Upstairs, in a combination of floors I don't remember were Pierre Huyghe's phenomenal video "A Journey That Wasn't", another artist whose name escapes me at the moment (but I know I don't like the work. Tansey maybe?), Franz Ackerman in a weird installation-cum-painting that is somewhat recent (I'm not a huge fan either) shown with Neo Rauch, an artist who is so overrated and clearly destined to be a forgotten little master in a century or so. Some good Albert Oehlens, Christopher Wool ditto, a bunch of Ellen Gallhager (an artist who can look good in group shows but I'm not sure her work really stands alone, I'd rather get Sue Williams myself), shown with William Kentridge, an artist I am not sure deserves all the veneration he gets. I mean, it's nice, but...
There was also a very good recent Jeff Wall, alas not very well installed. I mean, if Andreas Gursky whose work wouldn't even exist without Jeff Wall gets an entire floor, at least Wall's work should get better placement. I'm glad Wall finally enters Broad's collection any way, though I doubt Broad will be able to collect Wall in depth as works by the artists are rare on the market.

The event itself was rather relaxed, FBC! being thrilled to meet Jeff Wall in person, as well as his lovely (and extremely funny) wife Jeanette. FBC! counts Wall amongst her private Gods, another one being Dan Graham, so it totally made my day (and yes, I've made Dan Graham in the past).
There were a bunch of LACMA people present of course, Michael Govan and Melody Kanschat in full schmoozing mode with smiled glued on their faces. Marian Goodman was here with her son Michael. Marian Goodman was very nice in person, and also shorter than FBC!, something very rare in the artworld (and probably elsewhere) so I felt like mentioning it. Aside from our short stature she and I also share a taste for colorful designer glasses, so maybe if I'm lucky the resemblance won't stop here and I'll end up as the Marian Goodman of the 2030s. One can always hope... In passing, if you're in NYC this Saturday, there's a new Jeff Wall show opening at Marian Goodman.
It seems I've also shaken Tyler Green's hand but if it was so it was at the end when I was developing a headache so I don't remember it and I probably didn't introduce myself as FBC!. Sorry Mr. Green, another time maybe.
Anyway, FBC! isn't artforum.com so I'll stop here with the name-dropping. Have a nice end of President Day, and be careful when you elect the next one.

* My Latin is becoming shaky, so scripsi it may not be.
**pictures are copyright Daniel Congdon, 2008. Daniel is an artist, so please don't repost/publish before contacting FBC! for permission and without mentioning the author. Thanks!

Your Social Life

FBC! has been hibernating lately (all this rain, plus a nasty cold) and a bit out of it, so I neglected to help you out with this week Your Social Life. Oopsie.
So, quick, tonight you can go at Another Year In LA and don't worry about Friday night's traffic, because their openings run late. I won't be able to go, so please say hi to David and Cathy for me. Thanks!
Tomorrow is also the opening of the show curated by Michael Ned Holte at Richard Telles, where I will be absent from due to a previous social engagement, so once again please say hi to the charming Will Fowler for me! And after this? Well, you can go see the last days of the Francis Alys show at the Hammer or the Murakami show at MoCA and most importantly swing by the Glendale College Gallery for tomorrow's opening (look for Jennifer Lane and Caroline Thomas' work).
You can also go see the show Patriot Acts at 18th St. in Santa Monica. I'm fully disqualified to review that show since I have 5 friends in it, not including the curator, but before you go vote on Super Tuesday it would probably benefit you to have a refresher in what's great about American's values, when they are cherished and respected.

Next week you will have to brace for the upcoming mammoth opening of BCAM at LACMA. For the non-acronymous readers, all those initials stand for Broad Contemporary Art Museum at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, a mouthful isn't it? You may have seen the Jeff Koons-hatched egg plastered on banners all over town. Koons being championed by Broad in many, many of his gigantic-sized endeavors, the trademark may have seemed obvious to LACMA's Marketing Dept. but I'm afraid not so much for the rest of the city. Now you know!
Anyway, there will be a series of grandiose shindigs starting with the Gala fundraiser and then a series of openings, none of which your truly has been invited to, so I'm a bit peeved at my former LACMA colleagues. That's OK, I will report on the building and the collection once the commotion will have died down. I think I'll contrast it with the Michael Asher show at SMMOA (yay!) and then later will post the LA-provincial-versus-international text I've been working on and off for the past weeks. So if like me you are not invited, you can 1.) but the LAT Sunday, there's a 6-page spread coming up and 2.) get a free community ticket for the Feb. 16/17 weekend (I'm going at 2 PM, if you really want to know, but if there are too many people in attendance I'll flee).

Meanwhile, there's also the brunch at the Broad Foundation to present the new installation there, and I'm very excited to go because there's a Jeff Wall that must be new there, and there will be solid good stuff like Bernd and Hilla Becher, Thomas Struth and Pierre Huygues.
To the best of my knowledge there isn't any Jeff Wall in Los Angeles' public collections, so hopefully it will trigger some desire in collectors here to buy a good one and donate it to an institution here.
I personally don't care (admittedly, I'm not a Museum Director) whether Eli Broad gives or not his collection to LACMA or any other LA museum at the moment, because:

a) he never said he was going to give it, before, during, and after the construction and opening of BCAM (hey, NYT article from a few weeks back: this is not news. The info was out and public for I don't know how long!)
b) he may change his mind later
c) even if he doesn't, the Foundation that will administer the collection may decide to donate it in parts or in its entirety in the future
d) Eli Broad isn't dead, in case you haven't noticed. If you hadn't, you probably live on Mars. Since he's very much alive, he can do as he may well please.
e) The building is great, and if it leads LA donors to pledge more money in the future to totally renovate and rebuild LACMA from scratch it would be a good idea (but please, preserve the Bing Auditorium as is).


And seriously: why is it that Eli Broad can do pretty much as he pleases in LA? It's very simple: no one else is stepping in. Where are you all the other LA billionaires when you are needed? How much do you donate to Los Angeles civic projects? To the Los Angeles public good at large? Probably not enough. Until you do, Eli reigns.