Contemporary Art: It´s Always Fun To Visit The Broad Los Angeles

 

(Drivebycuriosity) - When I am in Los Angeles I like to visit "The Broad" (221 S. Grand Avenue in Down Town LA thebroad). The private art museum has a spectacular collection - and the admission is free. No wonder that "The Broad" is quite popular and reserve advance tickets for free general admission are recommended. But as my wife and I visited the museum this week, there was no line and we got immediate entry even without an advance ticket.

 

The contemporary art museum is founded and owned by the billionaire Eli Broad,  who had build two Fortune 500 companies in different industries: KB Home & Sun America. It seems that the founder and his curators have an excellent taste. There are a lot of amazing art works to see, including Jeff Koons, Cy Twombly & Robert Rauschenberg.  The building is spacious and the large white walls give the  - often monumental - paintings enough room to impress.

 

The tiny icons on this page can give a just a foretaste. You have really to go there to experience the art works. I show here just some favorites, as usual a very subjective selection.

 

The museum has a nice collection of "Basquiats," all fancy large scale paintings. This girl is studying "Eyes and Eggs" (1983) & "Beef Ribs Longhorn (1982) Both acrylic, oilstick and paper collage on cotton.

and she is admiring Takashi Murakami`s huge "Hustle'n'Punch By Kaikai And Kiki" (2009, acrylic and platinum leaf on canvas mounted on aluminum frame, 118 1/8 x 239 3/8 x 2 in. (300.04 x 608.01 x 5.08 cm)




                  Tender Is The Night

 

Above 3 paintings by rising female stars:  Jenny Saville`s "In the Realm of the Mothers II" (2014, Charcoal on canvas) & Cecily Brown`s "Black Painting I" (2002, oil on linen) &  "Tender is the Night " (1999, oil on linen) followed by Robert Longo`s "Untitled (White Rio)" (1982 charcoal, graphite and ink on two paper panels 96 x 120 in. (243.84 x 304.8 cm).

 

I was happy to spot some works by Mark Tansey, who is one of my favorite painters (mark-tansey). I admire how he mixes reality with fiction and plays surrealist games on canvas. Above you can see his "Four Forbidden Senses"  (1982, oil on four canvas panels)

 

What`s going on in Tansey`s"Achilles and the Tortoise" (1986, oil on canvas).

 

I also like his "Wake" (2003, oil on canvas) which reminds me of Renoir.

 It´s always fun to visit The Broad