
![Untitled (6) [three in a field] 1970-71, - Estate of Diane Arbus, LLC](http://kcrw.org/gallery/images/at040323b.gif)

Going to MOCA to see a huge survey of the first decade of Minimalist Art from the late 50's through the late 60's, I was prepared to reacquaint myself with a number of important American artists who cooled down the dramatic excesses of the previous era, ruled by the Abstract Expressionists. What I was not prepared for, was to be seduced by the richness of the color of so many works in the exhibition. It was a revelation to discover the sensuality of the textures of so many of the works, running the gamut from rusty metal patinas to the shiny surfaces of lozenge-like, wall-mounted plastic sculptures that gave me improbable thoughts of trying to lick them off the walls.
It took Ann Goldstein, the curator of this exhibition, almost seven years to do research and secure the works from numerous private and public collections. There are a few artists whose work I had never encountered before. There are many juxtapositions which I would never have thought of, and therefore was grateful for the visual and intellectual surprises they provided. The only suggestion I might have is to reconsider describing this artistic movement as Minimalism. With all the dramatic effects and witty intellectual playfulness, wouldn't it be more appropriate to rename it Sensualism, or, even better, Maximalism? This excellent exhibition marks an important milestone in the history of MOCA, celebrating this year its 25th birthday.
(Images courtesy of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.)
The Last Picture Show: Artists Using Photography, 1960-1982
February 8 - May 9
Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles
(310) 443-7000
The Photographers of Genius
March 16 - July 25
The Getty Museum
1200 Getty Center Dr
Los Angeles
(310) 440-7300
Diane Arbus Revelations
February 29 - May 31
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles
(323) 857-6010
A Minimal Future? Art as Object 1958-1968
March 14-August 2, 2004
MOCA at California Plaza
250 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 626-6222