First spotting: 1:45 pm, Monday, September 27, 2010. Ferrari 612. Von's parking lot, Sunset and Pacific Coast Highway.
As the owner parked and left his car, I had the courage to walk around it and admire it. Suddenly, I heard a strange humming sound emanating from the car. I assumed that it was some kind of an alarm that would alert the owner if I got too close. Second spotting: 1:50 pm. Monday, September 27, 2010. Ferrari F450-7, The Getty Villa parking garage entrance.
I joined the crowd of gawkers. The owner was justifiably proud of what appeared to be his new toy. The top was down, so you could see inside. I said that I had now seen two Ferraris in five minutes and asked if everyone in Malibu owned a Ferrari. He smiled.
Me and my dream car, Ferrari F458. Ferrari showroom, San Francisco, August 1, 2005. Until my two recent spottings in Malibu, this is as close as I ever got to a real Ferrari. I have a friend in New York who keeps one at his place in Water Mill on Long Island. He has offered to take me for a ride, but I never managed to get there.
In his remarks at the Press Preview on September 23, 2010, Renzo Piano defined his design of museums as both architecture and art - an art that is sympathetic to works of art. He decried "white boxes" as a solution to museum architecture because white boxes are not sympathetic to viewing works of art. From Piano's perspective, natural light enhances viewing works of art; therefore, he creates spaces in which natural light can be managed as a corollary to the aesthetic experience. Although he did not say this specifically, we can assume that he does not want his architecture to either over- whelm or distract from the appreciation of works of art.
Achieving this delicate balance is one of Renzo Piano's hallmarks; it distinguishes his architecture from others who pursue what could readily be described as egocentric statements in which the presen- tation of works of art must be accommodated within the boundaries of the personal style of the architect. Unfortunately, most of the new museums around the world - except those designed by Renzo Piano - represent this philosophy. Since the opening of Frank Ghery's Guggenheim Museum in Bilboa, Spain, virtually every museum board of directors planning a new building has attempted to find "starchitects" (star architects - names of firms associated with grandiose projects. not all of which are well-designed.) who could perform "Bilboa magic." Fortunately, the decision makers at LACMA exercised wiser judgment.
The success of Renzo Piano's philosophy is amply demonstrated in the Resnick Pavilion. Above, it is possible to see the skylight louver system that controls the natural light in the gallery. There are three exhibition bays: central - Olmec sculpture - a definitive exhibition of this early Mexican culture, right: Resnick collection - the personal collection of the benefactors for whom the new building is named and left: fashion - selections from LACMA's vast his- torical fashion collection. Each exhibition in its own bay. utilizes a different level of natural light. As the sun rises and falls; as the weather changes from day-to-day, adjustment are made with an iphone app.
In addition to praise for the architect, the installation design team deserve commendation for their sensitive presentation of the Olmec artifacts. Although relatively few in number, each of the Olmec sculptures absorbs the vast space of the gallery without being overwhelmed by its size.
4 - the chicano moratorium by Jaime Cruz ... 6 - ask a wise latina by Josefina López ... 9 - dolores huerta at 80 by Abel Salas ... 10 - flor y canto festivals by Michael Sedaño ... 10 - alarcon's "ce uno one" review by Nina Serrano ... 13 - un solo sol kitchen byAntonia de la Torre ... 16 - lacma olmec exhibit by Allon Schoener ...
LACMA Presents First West Coast Exhibtion of Olmec Masterworks / October 2, 2010 - January 9, 2011
With great anticipation, I am looking forward to seeing the Olmec exhibition at LACMA. Among what have been described as Mesomaerican cultures, Aztec, Maya, Mixtec, Olmec and Zapotec, the oldest is Olmec with roots tracing back to the sixth century BCE. During my lifetime, I have witnessed the transformation of Mesomaerican cultures from the domain of natural history museums to art museums.
My first contact with Olmec art, this ancient Mexican culture most notable for its highly developed stone carving technology producing massive stone heads that have no equal in human history, occurred when I was a graduate student in art history at Yale. I had the good fortune to attend a seminar focusing on the Olmec led by the renowned Pre-Columbian scholar, George Kubler. As an art historian, Kubler was more interested in a stylistic interpretation of Olmec culture in which he saw the art objects as having a life of their own, seeming sometimes to be devoid of an association with the human beings who created them.
The Olmecs utilized some of the hardest stones to be found on this planet: basalt, granite and jade. Kubler marveled at the incredible technological accomplishment of the Olmec sculptors, who, like Ancient Egyptians, managed to create sculpture from blocks of stone without the benefit of metal tools.
Among indigenous American cultures, there were varied writing systems; however, there were no written languages in the European and Asian traditions. As a consequence, we know virtually nothing about the Olmec except the sculptures that remain. Without a written language or some other method for recording events, Olmec society remains shrouded by myth and mystery more than in fact. There is much unresolved about when and how the Olmec lived, prospered and disappeared.
Other Mesoamerican societies had highly developed glyph systems which recorded military and political events. Buildings, walls and stela were inscribed with historical, political and genealogical information. While there are on-going investigations of these written glyph systems, the spoken languages of a number of North, South and Central American indigenous cultures persist. Bolivia, Paraguay and Peru have one or more official indigenous spoken languages. In the American southwest, the Navajo language claims 200,000 speakers.
In Mexico and Guatemala, the Maya retain their cultural identity and their their spoken language remains functional. While serving as a consultant to the Organization of American States, I witnessed the perpetuation of the Maya oral tradition. During lunch at the home of the leader of a woman's weaving cooperative in Flores, Guatemala, an elder was teaching the son of our host Ancient Maya in an adjacent space. Recognition of elders as custodians of oral tradition, is common in other American, African and Asian indigenous cultures
On previous occasions, I have seen Olmec sculpture in traditional museum settings: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, American Museum of Natural History and National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. I believe that the Resnick Pavilion designed by Renzo Piano will provide a new and enhanced opportunity to view Olmec sculpture bathed in natural light. This might simulate the environment in which these sculptures were created rather than their being seen in confined traditional museum galleries with artificial illumination. As the light outside changes, so will the light inside. It promises to be spectacular.
