Kicking off '05

Eric and I ventured into LA today to visit LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) to check out Renoir to Matisse: The Eye of Duncan Phillips, LACMA's current blockbuster. Even though the galleries were jam packed, and we had to stand in unusually blustery, rainy weather just to get inside, it was a fabulous exhibition. This is one of those "must see" exhibitions for anyone interested in Modern art, with more than 50 paintings by the usual suspects behind many of the European Masterpieces of the 19th and 20th Centuries - Renoir, Degas, Matisse, Picasso, etc etc. It was particularly interesting to see the importance placed on the collector of the works, Duncan Phillips, a man of such wealth and love of art, he single-handedly (or, rather, with his wife Marjorie) amassed one of the 20th Century's most prized collections. Phillips' willingness to embrace unconventional art and ability to purchse and promote it was instrumental in introducing this country to these truly groundbreaking artists. This is particularly exciting as I travel to DC next week to visit Sarah and Duncan Phillips' own museum, the Phillips Collection! Yippee! Read more about this exhibition at http://www.lacma.org/.

Another surprisingly fascinating LACMA show is The Arts and Crafts Movement in Europe and America, 1880–1920: Design for the Modern World, an incredibly detailed look at the birth and spread of the arts and crafts movement. This paragraph from LACMA's site best summarizes:

"The Arts and Crafts Movement was a response to a century of unprecedented social and economic upheaval. Its name was coined in 1887, when a group of designers met in London to found an organization—the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society—for which applied art would be valued as equal to fine art. Many in the movement championed the moral and spiritual uplift that would come with the revival of making objects by hand. The improvement of working conditions, the integration of art into everyday life, the unity of all arts, and an aesthetic resulting from the use of indigenous materials and native traditions also were central to the movement’s philosophy."

Well said! Methinks we need another such movement these days.

Also I must mention the flick we saw last night: The House of Flying Daggers. It's simply one of the most visually stunning movies I've ever seen. If you're at all in need of a sweeping, love-infused epic with visuals that will literally take your breath away, go see it. Don't be afraid of the subtitles, you hardly notice they're there. Do yourself a favor and view the trailer here: www.sonyclassics.com/houseofflyingdaggers.