The Broad Museum Featuring Cindy Sherman
Hey there friends!
Finally made the pilgrimage to the Broad in Downtown Los Angeles to see the Cindy Sherman : Imitation of Life exhibit. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the photographic works of Cindy Sherman, she is a contemporary photographer utilizing satire, costuming and self portraiture to illustrate issues in gender roles, beauty, status, and vanity.
Her stunning portraits convey these issues by using herself to formulate and overly dramatize the stereotypes of several generations. It's really great to see it as a body of work because you can really see not only the progression, but stylistic movements as well.
Two examples utilizing rear projection.
One of the first movements is utilizing rear projection, a technique formerly used in movie making. When backgrounds were unavailable to mimic the scenery they would use stock film to simulate. This technique was much easier in the black and white era for the suspension of disbelief, color started to kill that as it was not as believable. However, in this instance, it became a beautiful lighting aesthetic as well.
Wall sized print.
As the show progresses you come to even more satirized portraits of modernity, then to Renaissance, then to modern again. The beautiful, and sometimes jarring images really showcase the artists sense of humor, sense of self, and ability to play with the audience.
Sampling of satire.
The images showcased here do not do the exhibit any justice. I can't express enough that you should see it in person. One of the best things you can do is make an appointment to see the exhibit. While the museum is free, there is a very long stand by line. If you pay for the exhibit you can make an appointment which allows access to the full museum as well.
Renaissance costuming.
Clown images.
Next up the main collection is absolutely stunning. The Broad has curated an absolutely gorgeous contemporary collection containing everything from Graffiti, Silkscreen, painting, sculptural, and photographic legends. I got to see my very first up close Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andreas Gursky, and all time favorite photo realist painter Chuck Close! They have on display Andy Warhol, Takeshi Murakami, Jeff Koons, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, and so many more. These are some of my own personal favorites, but there are so many great pieces to view here. My tiny images on this blog can not capture the sincerely amazing work to take in. This museum is free to the public unless you're looking for the Sherman exhibit, but it is so worth the money to see it all.
Jeff Koons
Andy Warhol
Ed Ruscha
Chuck Close
Andreas Gursky
Hope all you Angelinos have a chance to go see this beautiful exhibit, the master collection, and the brilliant building. The Sherman exhibit runs until October 2nd.
