A quick trip to L.A.’s newest contemporary art museum, The Broad, and then across the street to MOCA makes for an awesome day of art in So. Cal.! Taking the Metro from Pasadena’s Memorial Park station is an easy 20 mins or so to Union Station downtown. From there, simply exit the front doors of the main entrance toward Alameda and cross the street heading west. The “DART” bus stop is right there! For $.50 (you read that right!) take the bus about 5 stops to Second and Grand. You can’t miss it! The Disney Music Hall will be on the right, and then just beyond it is the brand new Broad! As you exit the bus, look left across the street and bada-bing, there is MOCA Grand : )
The Broad and MOCA Grand – Contemporary Art in Los Angeles
After hearing about lines around the block to get into the entrance *free* Broad, I was pleasantly surprised to be able to walk right in! My visit began about 1:45pm on a Wednesday. One of the first things you see is this piece of twisted black sculpture pictured below – is it a Tim Burtonesque reference to the rows of white lamp-posts at LACMA?
The Broad and MOCA Grand – Contemporary Art in Los Angeles
The Broad’s building itself is a work of art, designed by architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) in collaboration with Gensler. The Grand Opening was this past Fall, 2015.
Have you ever watched an iconic building being constructed in a minute and a half through time-lapse photography? Check out EarthCam’s intriguing video of the Broad’s construction here:
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The long, distinct, interior escalator up to the second floor is surrounded with smooth, sculpted, concrete walls which enhance the understanding that a unique experience is just beginning.
The Broad and MOCA Grand – Contemporary Art in Los Angeles
At the top of the escalator one is greeted by many eye-popping choices. Which way to go, which room to explore first?
The Broad and MOCA Grand – Contemporary Art in Los Angeles
To the right was a super cool video exhibit by Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson called “The Visitors”.
The Broad and MOCA Grand – Contemporary Art in Los Angeles
The next place I found my gaze lingering was on this haunting piece – an untitled photograph by Robert Longo of Ferguson Police during the protests of 2014.
The Broad and MOCA Grand – Contemporary Art in Los Angeles
Without seeing the famed “Infinity Mirrored Room” (next time!), it was then a hop across the street to MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art, Grand Ave. in Los Angeles). But first this final warning from John Baldessari at the Broad:
The Broad and MOCA Grand – Contemporary Art in Los Angeles
I had ventured down to L.A. specifically to see “The Art of Our Time” exhibit at MOCA. I wanted to write about a Jackson Pollock or a Mark Rothko for my art history class. But of course there was much to distract! Love Jean-Michel Basquiat – here is an untitled piece from 1981. If you were into art (even a little bit) in the 1980’s like I was, you know that Basquiat seemed to capture the energy and contradictions of the era…
The Broad and MOCA Grand – Contemporary Art in Los Angeles
A piece from art history….one of female artist Senga Nengudi’s (b. 1943) taut pantyhose sculptures.
The Broad and MOCA Grand – Contemporary Art in Los Angeles
And finally, in this week of Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries…
The Broad and MOCA Grand – Contemporary Art in Los Angeles
