We
approached the museum from Wilshire Blvd. and parked in
what used to be the lot for the old May Company building.
$5.00 please. In fact, LACMA has taken over the famous
Art Deco building and has added more of its' collection
- LACMA West.
Did
I mention this is a big museum? Well, it is.
We
walked into the grounds through a beautiful sculpture
garden.
Again,
probably a dozen sculptures, just out on display without
much of a security force. More sculptures by Rodin, and
one from Emille-Antoine Bourdelle entitled 'Monument to
Rodin' [below]
Dianne
and I had a rather spirited discussion regarding bronze
sculpture. And it boils down to some key questions, thoughts
and ideas.
Now
follow along class...
1.
Do 'original' sculptures exist in clay? In other words,
if Rodin created the original 'The Thinker' out of clay,
does that clay version exist somewhere? And if so, is
that also considered 'art'?
What
about the finished bronze piece? Which one is an original?
Or does it matter?
2.
'The Thinker' sits in front of the Norton Simon Museum.
But it also appears at The National Gallery of Art in
Washington D.C., The Rodin Museum in Paris, The Philadelphia
Museum of Art, and Cleveland Museum of Art. According
to MuseumSpot.com, over 21 statues have been made from
Rodin's original mold of 'The Thinker.'
Upon
closer inspection, Norton Simon lists their 'Thinker'
as #11. Who
knew? We sure didn't.
The
ticket booths and information are situated in a large,
open breezy central court. Tables and chairs are set out,
and patrons who weren't inside the museum buildings were
just enjoying the day. It was certainly the most active
museum we've visited. It was also from this perspective
that we could take in the sheer size of the place.
Tickets
and General Admission
$7,
adults
$5, seniors (62+) and students (18+) with ID
$1, children/younger students ages 6 to 17
Free, children under 6 years of age.
*The
second Tuesday of each month is free to all.
So
here's the layout
Anderson
Building:
Plaza level -- Special exhibits: Modern and Contemporary
Art
Second Level: Art since 1970 Third Level: Modern and Contemporary
Art, 1900- 1970.
Hammer
Building:
Plaza level - Special exhibits: Second Level: German Expressionist
Prints and Drawings, Impressionism and post-impressionism,
19th Century European Art; plus, special exhibitions on
Photography and Prints and Drawings.
Ahmanson
Building:
Lower Level: Chinese and Korean Art Plaza Level: American
Art, American Decorative Arts, 16-17th Century English
Art - are you tired yet?
Pavilion
for Japanese Art:
Japanese paintings, prints, sculptures, arts and textiles.
Bing
Center:
Research library, auditorium, resource center and a theater
This
place is big. And we knew we weren't going to try and
see it all. The
offerings in the Robert O. Anderson building - second
and third floor - caught our attention.
So,
after a brief photo shoot....
