Thanksgiving Weekend at LACMA

LACMA will be closed on Thanksgiving Day as we gear up for a great weekend of music, film, dance, and art—including, most notably, the new dreamlike exhibition Magritte and Contemporary Art: The Treachery of Images. A gallery experience unlike any other, Magritte is rapidly becoming LA's must-see show of the fall. "A gas," says LA Times critic Christopher Knight, "entertaining and insightful, partly thanks to a savvy, subversive installation design by Conceptual artist John Baldessari." Plus:

Membership Appreciation Days
Friday, Saturday, Sunday

We thank our supporters with three days of great values. From Friday through Sunday LACMA members will get 20% off in the museum shops (doubling the 10% discount they always enjoy), free gift wrapping, and 10% discounts at the Plaza Cafe and Pentimento—a perfect way to get your holiday shopping started. Not a member? Not a problem. Become one and receive the same discounts on the spot, not to mention all the other good stuff that membership brings.

Concerts
Friday & Sunday

Friday Night Jazz kicks off the holiday season with a 5:30 pm performance of the Theo Saunders Sextet. "Musician Theo Saunders never fails to amaze," writes Bob Agnew in L.A. Jazz Scene. "His virtuosity at the keyboard, his creative programming and selection of players usually results in a superb evening of entertainment." Later in the weekend, Sundays Live, at the Bing Theater, will present pianist Dmitri Ratser in a 6 pm concert featuring works by Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Alexander Rosenblatt, and the artist himself.

In the galleries:
Magritte and Contemporary Art: The Treachery of Images, with The Treachery of Images (This is not a pipe) at left, Robert Gober's Cigar in the foreground, Mike Kelley's Wood Grain #2 on the central wall, and Ed Ruscha's Lion in Oil at right. Installation photo by Steve Oliver.

Film
Friday

Mamma Roma: The Films of Anna Magnani concludes with Friday night showings of The Rose Tattoo (7:30 pm at the Bing Theater) and La Sciantosa/The Chanteuse (9:40 pm). From our Film Department pages: "Of the many foreign actresses to earn international success, most—Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren, Gina Lollabrigida, to name a few—were bombshells, sex symbols in the classic mold. Anna Magnani was the exception; earthy and unkempt, she was neither glamorous nor statuesque, yet radiated such fierce intelligence and sensuality that she became a major star."

NexGen
Sunday

The Shakti Dance Academy gives a special performance as NexGen Family Sundays explores Tales of Krishna, a current installation on the Hindu deity and his legendary deeds as portrayed in the visual arts of India. For families with children ages 12 and under; Family Sunday begins at 12:30 pm.

Children's Book Signing
Sunday

Join us Sunday at 2 pm for a book signing with children’s author and illustrator Calef Brown. Let Flamingos on the Roof, Polkabats and Octopus Slacks, or Dutch Sneakers grab your attention with their silly delightful lyrics and hip illustrations. Pop-up Aesop and Greece! Rome! Monsters! explore classic stories in a completely groovy new way. A brief yet interesting bio: "Mr. Brown began his career as a tour guide at an early age, when he discovered the simple joy of pointing things out. He is also an artist, writer, and frequently a blue elephant. His illustrations have appeared in many magazines and newspapers, and his paintings have been exhibited in N.Y., L.A., S.F., and other places without fancy initials, like Osaka and Rome. He can usually be found wandering the quaint cobblestone streets of Los Angeles, California, or sleeping in the sun on a small island in Maine."

Anna and Burt: Poster for The Rose Tattoo, scr: Tennessee Williams, Hal Kanter; Dir: Daniel Mann; w/Anna Magnani, Burt Lancaster, Marisa Pavan, Jo Van Fleet (1955/b&w/116 min.).  

Tours and Talks
Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Our knowledgable team of docents will enlighten and engage you with the stories behind Jacques-Louis David's Portrait of Jean-Pierre Delahaye, as well as Breaking the Mode: Contemporary Fashion from the Permanent Collection, and Masquerade: Role Playing in Self-Portraiture—Photographs from the Audrey and Sydney Irmas Collection; and many more paintings and themes. (See Calendar for details and times.) And for an illustrated talk on Magritte and Contemporary Art, be at Brown Auditorium at 1 pm on Saturday.

 

 

Self Portrait:
Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #3 [Woman in kitchen], 1977, gelatin-silver print, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Audrey and Sydney Irmas Collection, © Cindy Sherman.