Desert X 2k19

Ever wonder what else there is to do in the desert besides go to Coachella….well for their second time around Desert X has put together another site specific contemporary art exhibition in the Coachella Valley. Every piece is unique to the location and most are interactive. The exhibit will be open until April 21st, if you want to plan a visit you can here. But for now enjoy the amazing photos taken by Marrice & Mike or Dolla x Dunks.

Specter

Sterling Ruby

Western Flag

John Gerrard

Dive-in

Superflex

Halter

Eric N. Mack

Lover’s Rainbow

Pia Camil

A Point of View

Iván Argote

Terminal Lake

Steve Badgett & Chris Taylor

Going Nowhere

Julian Hoeber

Ghost Palm

"AMERICA TOO"

AMERICA TOO is the third collaboration this year by Murakami & Abloh; with previous shows “Future History” being in London & “Technicolor 2” in Paris it was only a matter of time before the duo brought a show to USA. The two have a natural chemistry that seems to work well whenever they decide to collaborate on a project. This is not limited to just art, but fashion as well…with Virgil Abloh being the Creative Director of Louis Vuitton, it is likely for them to work together under the high fashion brand seeing as how Takashi Murakami started a relationship with Louis when he designed this bag in 2003. But for now we can appreciate the work they do have out, Gagosian in Beverly Hills was host of “AMERICA TOO” which was on display from October 10th thru the 25th.

For a recap of opening day you can visit their website here and checkout the gallery below.

GALLERY

GRAMMY MUSEUM

“They gone think I won a Grammy”

— Future Hendrix

The Grammy Museum located in the heart of Los Angeles, right next to the infamous LA Live is a must see on your next trip to LA. This museum is one of the few to be interactive; being able to engage with different items in the gallery made the experience much more enjoyable. Aside from educating visitors on the vast list of grammy winners, you get a chance to learn about different musical genres & how music came about in some cultures. Oh, and they also have Michael Jacksons glove and Ray Charles glasses on display along with many more historical music artifacts. Every month the Grammy Museum features different exhibits, this time they teamed up with Warner Bros. to present “The Get Animated Invasion”. This exhibit walks you through the history behind Warner Bros. iconic animations and short films. However, the pop-up only lasted a month so to stay updated on the upcoming & current exhibits you can check here. But for now enjoy the gallery!

“That’s All Folks!”

Art History in Europe

by Michael Casatico

The Van Gogh museum had to be my personal favorite out of all the museums I visited throughout Europe. This was one of the first I had been to that was dedicated to a single artist. The museum was organized in chronological order so you could walk through Van Gogh’s life step by step and see how different points of his life effected his paintings. His art was usually a mix of landscapes, self-portraits, and different scenes of moments, however; all of his work always featured large globs of texture filled paint that would bring the canvas to life. After about two to three hours of immersing myself in paintings, I walked out of there with a new-found desire to do some painting myself.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Rome is home to the almighty Vatican Museum, which is also home to the legendary Sistine Chapel. I must start off by saying these pictures do not do Michelangelo any justice at all. This man was incredible and I never quite understood just how incredible he really was until I saw this masterpiece covering the ceiling of the chapel and was just amazed. It’s hard to imagine Michelangelo hand painting the entire piece over the span of four years, but in fact, that is exactly how it happened. While the painting was in progress, Michelangelo became so jealous of his work that he wouldn’t allow anyone to see it before it was completed! I think it’s fair to say it was well worth the wait. Even with all the crowds and long lines it was still an unforgettable experience. I would definitely say it is one of those things you truly need to see for yourself if you have the chance. Also pictured are some photos of David, another famous product of Michelangelo, and the Duomo.

Rome, Italy

Musée d’Orsay was a gem. To be completely honest, I chose to visit this museum over the Louvre, and it did not disappoint. It was nice change of pace to be able to explore different exhibits from various time periods and view everything without feeling rushed or crowded. Some of my favorite finds were the original statue of Liberty and this super crazy detailed sculpture of gladiators fighting (pictured below). The museum was inside of an old train station which complemented all the art very nicely.

Paris, France

Marciano Art Foundation

The Marciano Art Foundation is one of LA's newest contemporary art spaces with a collection of over 1,000 artworks from well known artists. For those who are not familiar with the name, the founders Maurice and Paul Marciano are the creators of the brand GUESS? which grew into a iconic lifestyle apparel offering the expansion of new retail concepts "Marciano" and "G by Guess". The brothers are originally from South France, upon their arrival to America grew their new found appeal to contemporary art through visits to galleries and auctions. In 2006 they started collecting work and by 2012 the brothers reached a point to where it seemed imperative to share their collection and love of art publicly. May 25, 2017 would mark the day of opening for the museum, located in the heart of Los Angeles off Wilshire Boulevard. Open to the public Thursday-Saturday admission to the Marciano Art Foundation is free of charge, however tickets must be reserved online in advance which can be done here. 

Untitled #549-E by Cindy Sherman 

So I was lucky enough to get 2 tickets for the first Saturday after being sold out for weeks in advance. With the museum having a fashion background it only made sense that I invited my fashionable older brother, who is a fan of the arts as well as an artist himself. We met at the museum around 10:30 and began our tour. After a few steps we were granted this view (above), a mural piece by Cindy Sherman a photographer and film director who gained exposure through her abstract portraits. Honestly a lot of the art presented here kind of took me by surprise, mainly the pieces by Jim Shaw whose exhibit took up the whole first level. With an array of artists ranging from ceramics to canvas prints I am sure there is a form of art that will spark interest. I was able to capture some of my favorites along with some thought provoking pieces. I hope you enjoy the gallery below!