LACMA: TRANSFORMATION at The Resnick Pavillion

Wilshire Boulevard is as historic to Los Angeles as Route 66 is to the entire country. The fame and grace of Wilshire Boulevard still ceases to exist with new neighborhoods and traces of it’s glamorous past. Down the road that leads one to the famous beaches of the west coast we find museums and a line of art galleries. Wilshire art district is home to many art galleries that host their own seasonal art walk. On the array of Wilshire’s art spaces stands the art fortress surrounded by tall fences, a decorative light sculpture and it’s so many buildings that make up the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Infamous in it’s name LACMA was officially established as an art museum in 1961. We have to remember the great hype that was shaping the Los Angeles art scene at the time-- all and mostly coming from the artists affiliated with FERUS Gallery. This very period marks Los Angeles on the map along with the east coast art hub of New York City. It seems like it’s just the perfect time for LACMA to take that jump and become a museum.

Since early 2007 LACMA undertook it’s greatest project since opening in 1961. The project by the name of TRANSFORMATION promises to literally transform LACMA’s campus. This metamorphosis gave birth with the highly anticipated BCAM building, back in 2008. However, BCAM was not the only addition to the museum, but the now iconic Chris Burden-Urban Light sculpture. Also on the list,the now anticipated Resnick Pavillion.

Do you recall Eli Broad’s roller coaster set of news?! …

The news travels up and down the L. A. Times consecutively some weeks. Surely nothing new if we look at the Hollywood phenomena. Just how a movement proceeds the inspiration towards the next big thing, Eli Broad has helped shaped Los Angeles art centers like no other Los Angeles resident ever has. Maybe J. Paul Getty is up on that list since his estate continues to aide, but this is Eli Broad’s period.


In latest news the Broad Art Foundation plans to expand Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles by building a new art museum for the city which is still in the works.

If you don’t wish to ride on Broad’s roller coaster, I have good news for you. Hidden in that list of donors to TRANSFORMATION are Lynda and Steward Resnick donating $25 million dollars to what is now the anticipated Resnick Pavillion.


The Resnick Pavillion: Walter De Maria - the 2000 Sculpture

Currently Walter De Maria’s piece The 2000 Sculpture, takes hostage of the spacious pavilion. Only a “test” work to calculate the capacity of the space as stated by the LACMA director Michael Govan: “The sculpture provides an ideal way to test the Resnick Pavilion’s capacity to deal with large-scale work in the context of its architecture."



The Resnick Pavillion: Walter De Maria - the 2000 Sculpture


De Maria is the perfect artist for the vast space considering that it's cousins are next door at BCAM-- Richard Serra's Band and Sequence, artworks deserve a greater space alike Resnick. It's crucial for the museum to value it's artworks and shift the way it's public views their works. Richard Serra and Walter De Maria are artists that deserve great detail in the installation process.

You can only imagine how I felt when a guard explained to me that -- The 2000 Sculpture was only a test , and walls would soon be added to the pavilion in order to separate certain galleries. The natural lighting of the space helps De Maria, and it helps the public. I will admit that I' am architecturally proud of a space that serves it's purpose. One can only wait until the final opening this Fall.


I don't know about you, but LACMA will always humorously remind me of Ed Rusha's infamous piece: LACMA On Fire




UPDATE:

In LACMA's "TRANSFORMATION" release it stated that $25 million dollars were given to LACMA from the Resnick's, but the Los Angeles Times later confirmed that $50 million were granted.

In money business we can't quite understand, one things is clear: deals are sure to be hidden from the public, but what really matters is the accessibility of the artwork?!


"LACMA announced on September 29, 2008 that it had received a gift of $55 million from Los Angeles-based philanthropists Lynda and Stewart Resnick, including $45 million toward LACMA’s ongoing Transformation, a campaign to unify the museum’s campus and refurbish and expand its gallery spaces. Additionally, the Resnicks have promised LACMA gifts of art valued at $10 million. In honor of their generosity, LACMA will name a new Renzo Piano-designed building, slated to open in 2010, the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion"