Surviving Hot Days with Cool Art

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So, it seems that we survived another insanely hot weekend. I wonder how you managed to beat the heat? Here is a list of cool things that kept me alive through the weekend…

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Installation shots, Evolver group show at LA Louver. Venice Beach, CA. Photos by Edward Goldman.

I went to LA Louver gallery to check out a rather unusual exhibition showing over 100 artworks by a few dozen artists. It would be too much for even a medium-sized museum. The secret is that artworks are rotating during the exhibition’s run through August 17, and that’s why the title of the show is Evolver.

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Installation shot, Evolver group show at LA Louver. Venice Beach, CA. Photos by Edward Goldman. 

Check out on the Art Talk website a few artworks that particularly caught my attention at the gallery: a bronze sculpture by Deborah Butterfield, a painting by Rebecca Campbell, and a golden ceramic sculpture by Matt Wedel.

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Top: Q&A with Dan McCleary, moderated by John Sonsini. Craig Krull Gallery. Bottom: Installation shots of works by Dan McCleary at Craig Krull Gallery. Photos by Edward Goldman.

On Saturday morning, Craig Krull Gallery was crowded with art aficionados, happy to hear a conversation between Dan McCleary, who had a solo exhibition of his paintings there, and John Sonsini, his friend and fellow painter. It was intriguing to hear these artists sharing stories of fights and struggles that make their paintings come to life. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be a dream come true to have these artists as teachers if one wanted to become a painter?”

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The company stars in the Laguna Playhouse and Gershwin Entertainment production of “MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET.”  Now playing at the LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE through SUNDAY, JULY 29. Photo credit: Ed Krieger.

The rest of Saturday I spent in Laguna Beach, enjoying the sunset and then going to Laguna Playhouse for a preview of the Tony Award nominated smash-hit musical, Million Dollar Quartet. Talk about traveling in a time machine to Memphis, Tennessee, where, in 1956 at the famous Sun Studios, four musicians came together to record. Hmm, I wonder if you recognize their names – Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins. The actors on the stage are so cool – they act, play music, dance, and sing so well – one wants to watch them all night long…

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Top: Edward Goldman at The Getty Villa. Malibu, CA. Photo by Edward Goldman. Bottom: Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples. Photo Courtesy The Getty.

Last night at the Getty Villa I attended an interesting presentation about the collaboration between the National Archaeological Museum in Naples and the Getty. Over the last few years, a number of ancient artworks from Naples were sent to the Getty for conservation. After each conservation was completed, the artwork was put on display at the Getty Villa for an extended period of time, before returning to Naples.

Next year, Getty Villa will host a special exhibition dedicated to Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum, which inspired Mr. Getty to build its replica here, in Malibu. The National Archaeological Museum in Naples will send a number of ancient bronze sculptures from Villa dei Papiri to the Getty, where contemporary bronze copies of these originals are on display in its peristyle garden.

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Left: Dovima with Elephants, Evening Dress by Dior, Cirque d’Hiver, Paris, August 1955. Richard Avedon. Installation shot from Icons of Style: A Century of Fashion Photography, 1911-2011 by Edward Goldman. Right: Cover, Avedon: Something Personal. Photo by Edward Goldman.

And here is the coolest thing that I suggest keeping on your nightstand. I am reading the new biography of Richard Avedon, whose photographs are part of the current exhibition at The Getty Museum, Icons of Style: A Century of Fashion Photography, 1911- 2011. Avedon knew everyone, and everyone dreamed about being photographed by him.

The book is full of delicious stories and gossip about his work with stars. It reminds me of my interview with him a number of years ago here, on KCRW. Boy, just like everyone else, I fell in love with him the moment he started to talk.

Credits

Producer:

Kathleen Yore