LACMA's choice: destroy garage art for new addition

Los Angeles Times ^ | November 28, 2005 | Tyler Green

[Republicanprofessor]

Ignoring its duty to preserve art, the museum is about to allow the commissioned murals and panels in its garage to be destroyed.

THIS YEAR, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has embarrassed itself by handing over gallery space to private corporations (the King Tut exhibition), and it has sold masterworks from its supposedly permanent collection (at auction last month in New York City). Now LACMA is about to destroy art. On Dec. 1, the museum will tear down its parking garage. The plan is to erect in its place a $60-million building for the display of contemporary art. The problem isn't that LACMA is demolishing a garage so that it can add gallery space, the problem is that LACMA isn't saving the art it commissioned for the garage.

In 2000, on the occasion of the "Made in California" exhibit, LACMA asked San Franciscans Barry McGee and Margaret Kilgallen to fill the garage with their edgy, street-inspired art. Over the course of a week, the two artists turned the garage into a gallery, a reminder that art need not exist within a Renzo Piano-designed white cube to be captivating.

[Republicanprofessor]

Another fun art story of the day. What do Freepers think?

[mewzilla]

...contemporary art.

Now there's an oxymoron.

[Bahbah]

edgy, street-inspired art.

So, does it look like the typical street graffiti?

[sgtbono2002]

The stuff is probably so bad they cant recoup the cost of putting it on sale. Art I suppose is in the eye of the beholder, but trash is trash.

[mewzilla]

So, does it look like the typical street graffiti?

Or something my cat produced while on a 'nip binge?

[green iguana]

[Bahbah]

The last one is kind of amusing. If they like, they can take pictures of this stuff and preserve it that way I would think.

[veronica]

The phrase "street art" ought to be treated like art historical shorthand on a par with "cubism" or "pop art."

Baloney. "Street art" isn't on a par with cubism anymore than rap is on a par with Mozart. And museums have an obligation to bring in blockbuster shows like King Tut, to fund themselves and to attract audiences for more avant garde exhibitions. The "garage art" in those photos is glorified graffiti. Junk it.

[Republicanprofessor]

Thanks for the images. I only just had time to do somewhat of a search myself, but you nailed it as far as the garage images go. I agree with most of you: take some pictures as a documentary, but there is no need to save the works otherwise.

Other works by Barry McGee look a bit more permanent but are no deeper in form or content. I saw a great deal of similar empty contemporary art at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis this summer. This McGee is from that art center:

Here is an image of Margaret Kilgallen's at a gallery. Again, cleverly up to what the current postmodern scene values, but ultimately empty.

[green iguana]

I liked the last one too - kind of fun, but so are (some) daily comic strips. The museum has painstakingly photographed all the works, and the photos are planned to be on rotating exhibit in the new building. Works for me.

[MplsSteve]

Wow, I can't even recall the last time I stepped foot in the Walker. I think it was 5 or 6 years ago.

I've seen the new building on Hennepin Avenue. Can't decide whether I like it or not. It's...different. What do you think of it?

I prefer the Minneapolis Institute of Arts - when I do go to an art museum.

[Republicanprofessor]

We were just passing through Minneapolis, and I wanted to see Marc's Blue Horses, which I had seen in reproduction for years. It was, however, put into storage (along with probably many other great works) so they could highlight their contemporary collection....which was dismal.

I did like the sculpture park, with their more "traditional" modern masterpieces. The de Suvero swing was fun.

So, I don't know enough to know which building was new or not. The one we were in seemed pretty new and fine as museums go. I didn't even know of the Minneapolis Institute. I confess we spent a great deal of time getting lost our only day there. My son still had to learn how to read maps. But I did like the University and all the biking/walking paths beside the river. It's a pretty city.