Artists Explore LA
Art students broadened their horizons over half term, exploring the galleries and street art of Los Angeles.
GCSE art students travelled across the Atlantic to visit some of the most renowned art galleries in the world: The Broad, LA County Museum of Art (LACMA), The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and the Getty Centre. Charlotte in Year 11 reports back on their experience.
As the jet lag kicked in, and we headed to a Spanish restaurant for dinner, the streets of Freehand were alight with posters and billboards that consumed whole buildings. On the first day we visited LACMA, with its striking red architecture and Chris Burden’s towering ‘urban lights’ at the entrance, showcasing a variety of styles, from the 15th century to the present day – including works by Picasso and a tiger rug made from cigarettes. Next we travelled by bus to the Geffen Contemporary, for more abstract work from less well known artists, such as Mike Kelley’s colourful hallway of paintings.
The next day we set off early for a downtown street art tour, guided by one of the city’s graffiti artists, to see huge murals as well as tiny drawings, only known by locals: colourful, vibrant, full of character and expression. That afternoon we travelled by metro to Santa Monica beach to explore the pier, relax on the beach or ride the Pacific Park, before eating at Flower Child and returning to Freehand.
On Wednesday we visited both the Gettys. The Getty Villa, a pre-20th century museum, contained beautiful gardens and Greek and Roman classical artifacts, while at the Getty Centre – a stark white building against the blue of the sky – we visited an exhibition on ‘American grit’, with photos and drawings showing the life of Americans during the 1960s.
The next day was the most incredible, visiting the MOCA and the Broad, to discover Lichtenstein and Rauschenberg. At the MOCA, we saw Rothko’s emotive, larger than life works and, in the Broad, it was mind-blowing to witness the works of so many acclaimed artists… Yayoi Kusama’s infinity room, multiple Jeff Koons installations, the world’s largest collection of Cindy Sherman pieces, and a room containing Basquiat’s ‘Untitled’ skull – the latter a particular highlight for me.
On the final day we visited the SKYSPACE where you could view the whole of LA. At a final visit to the museum of Neon Art, we were shown how neon art is produced, restored and used beyond advertising. Overall LA was a trip that will never be forgotten. Seeing the works of renowned and lesser known artists, absorbing ourselves in American culture and having the freedom to explore the city culminated in a horizon-expanding trip for everyone, inspiring us all to continue to develop our art in our own direction.