THE BROAD: Exciting Contemporary Art in Downtown Los Angeles

Tulips by Jeff Koons

It was my first visit to The Broad museum of contemporary art in downtown Los Angeles and I was unprepared for the power of the art, much of it very large and very colorful. Spacious walls in brightly lit rooms allow each piece to shine on its own and at the same time to relate to the other pieces on display. 

Goldfish Bowl, 1977 by Roy Lichtenstein. Painted and patinated bronze.

Familiar names such as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Basquiat, Jeff Koons, as well as artists that were new to me, are represented in the galleries of the museum.

Paintings by Keith Haring.

The motivation for my visit to the Broad was to see the temporary exhibit, Keith Haring, Art for Everyone, an amazing collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures, pottery, t-shirts and more. (See last week's post about the Keith Haring exhibit.) The museum’s permanent collection is on the third floor.  

Painting: Party Hat; Sculptures: Rabbit and Blue Dog. By Jeff Koons.

Art and I arrived early, so while we waited for our timed entry to the Keith Haring show, we headed upstairs to get a start on viewing the permanent collection. (Timed tickets are required for the Keith Haring exhibit, and must be purchased. The rest of the museum is free to the public.)

Escalator to the third floor of The Broad.

We followed signs to a long escalator that ascends two stories through a tubular passageway that bursts into a large lighted room at the top. Various galleries branch off from the main room. The perforated “skin” of the building allows in light through rows of semicircular slits. 

Reflections on "Interior with Girl Drawing", Roy Lichtenstein, 1990

Our trip back down to the first floor was in the glass elevator. We shared the elevator with one family with young children who seemed to be enjoying it just for the ride! (There are also stairs.) 

Buster Keaton by Jeff Koons, 1988.

The Broad museum displays paintings and other art collected by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad. The focus of their collection is art from the 1950s to the present. 

Under the Table by Robert Therrien. Museum visitors are invited to walk under this giant wooden table (but not to sit on the chairs.)

One of our favorite pieces was Rabbit by Jeff Koons, whose metal body is polished to perfection, catching our reflections like a Fun House mirror..

Rabbit, sculpture by Jeff Koons

These are only a small sample of artwork on display. Before we left the museum, we stood in line on the main floor to see the Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirrored Room. (Timed tickets, which are free, are required and available online, but if the line isn’t too long, you are allowed to join—which is what we did.)  We waited for about 15 minutes for our turn to go into the darkened room. At first, before our eyes adjusted, it seemed as if we were stepping into outer space—a bit unnerving, especially if you don’t like heights. But then we realized that the standing platform was actually part of the larger floor, covered with mirrors, as were the walls and ceiling. Suspended lights twinkled in the darkness and were endlessly reflected all around us. It truly felt like we had entered infinity. After one minute, our turn was up and it was time for the next group to go in.

Infinity Room by Yayoi Kusama.

After this spectacular finale, we exited through the gift shop--where we saw many tempting items, although we didn’t buy anything,. It was lunchtime and we were hungry. We saw families picnicking in the small park next to the museum, having bought lunch from one of the food trucks parked along the curb. We ate, instead, at Vespaio, an Italian restaurant just on the other side of the park, enjoying our meal next to the window. We then returned to our car, parked conveniently in the garage under the museum, and headed home. Altogether, a stimulating and fun Saturday outing. 

ASIA MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, Taichung, Taiwan: Triangles and Flowers

At Asia University, on the outskirts of Taichung, Taiwan, is the new Asia Museum of Modern Art, a striking steel and concrete building designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Basing his design on an equilateral triangle, every part of the building reflects the triangle shape. During our recent trip to Taiwan, I was treated to a special tour of the museum.

On the lawn outside the glass and steel structure, Rodin’s Thinker greets visitors.

Inside the building, a model of the building's unique design can be seen in the lobby.

Model. The building is formed of three triangular floor plates, stacked as to provide a sheltered external patio at ground floor level, where open-air cafés and other areas of congregation are formed

Throughout the building the geometry is repeated with V-columns supporting the structural steel frame.

Support beams

The museum features rotating temporary exhibits, and at the time of my visit last fall, it was the Language of Flowers, a theme chosen to coordinate with the 2018 World Flora Exposition held in Taichung.

Painting of flowers by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama with her signature polka dots.

The museum's goal is to display works from young Taiwanese artists and other artists from Asia, providing a global stage for contemporary works. For this exhibit, each room of the museum displayed diverse works of art that employ flowers as motifs.

Detail of painting made over a sheet of gold leaf, which can be seen peeking through the foliage

Works on display ranged from paintings and drawings to sculpture and jewelry. 

Hands holding a rose

One whole room was devoted to the glittering jewelry of Taiwanese jewelry artist Aka Chen who “fuses oriental philosophy and crafting technology to eternalize beauty of natural objects with precious stones and breathe life into their presentation.” Flowers and butterflies are among his most popular subjects.

The entry panel to the Aka Chen room is designed to allow visitors to strike a pose and become one of his butterflies.

In another room of the museum, paintings and other objects reflected the bright colors and floral designs of the indigenous cultures of Taiwan.

Woman in traditional dress wearing a floral headdress

The Language of Flowers exhibit was truly a garden of delights. My photos show just a tiny sample of the beautiful and creative pieces that were part of it.
For information about visiting the Asia Museum of Modern Art and other sites in the Taichung area, click HERE.

POLKA DOTS: Yayoi Kusama at the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D.C. and Four City Tour

Inside the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D.C.

“Our earth is only one polka dot among a million stars in the cosmos.” Yayoi Kusama, 1968.
Polka dots were everywhere when I visited the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. in April and peeked through the open doors to the crowded galleries exhibiting the amazing artwork by this 87 year old Japanese artist.

Video of Yayoi Kusama is part of the exhibit

Infinity Mirrors at the Hirshhorn was just the first of a five city American tour of Yahoi Kusama’s amazing work. It will be at the Seattle Art Museum (June 30–Sept. 10, 2017), The Broad in Los Angeles (October 2017–January 2018), the Art Gallery of Ontario (March–May 2018) and the Cleveland Museum of Art (July–October 2018). It is a show not to be missed.

Paintings and whimsical sculptures

The Hirshhorn Museum of Contemporary Art is one of the nation's many Smithsonian museums.To quote the Smithsonian news release: “Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors” provides visitors with the unique opportunity to experience six of Kusama’s most iconic kaleidoscopic environments at once, alongside large-scale, whimsical installations and key paintings, sculptures and works on paper from the early 1950s to the present. It also marks the North American debut of numerous new works by the 87-year-old artist, who is still actively creating in her Tokyo studio.”

Looking into the Obliteration Room, where visitors apply multicolored stickers to walls and furniture

Tickets were so popular that I was not able to get one for my short stay in Washington. Luckily, the design of the Hirshhorn museum (like an oversize donut) is such that open doorways from the outer circular gallery provided a good look into the rooms where her art was displayed.

Polka dot balloons

And there was much more to see. In addition to the Kusama exhibit, there was an amazing display of orchids from the Smithsonian greenhouse on the main floor near the entrance, ranging from sprays of tiny blooms to giant flowers.

Orchids from the Smithsonian greenhouses

On the walls of the inner gallery on the second floor of the museum there were a series of large photographs of public clocks from around the world, one from every one of the world's time zones and each photo taken at exactly 1:55 p.m. It was a trip through time when time has stopped.

World Time Clock by Bettina Pousttchi

And on the third floor of the museum I viewed a varied display of modern paintings and sculptures, ranging from those by self-taught artists to pieces by many of the iconic names of the twentieth century.

Holy Mountain III, by self-taught artist Horace Pippin

So, even though I couldn’t get a Kusama ticket, my visit to the Hirshhorn was more than satisfying. And, I will get a second chance to see Infinity Mirrors when the show comes to Los Angeles in the fall.