Apples and Oranges…and Melons
Oct 30th, 2008 by LA Brain Terrain
A Photo Essay on the Great Depression has some stunning photos. These images make a nice contract to LACMA’s latest photo exhibit “Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008.” What a waste of space, notwithstanding the iconic Edward Steichen photo used to promote the exhibit. That photo, called Much Screened Lady—Gloria Swanson, 1924 , is one of my favorites. It is right up there with Eugene Robert Richee’s image of Louise Brooks Wearing Pearls.
I have no beef with an examination of celebrity journalism and/or image-making as art so long as the endeavor is framed in a new way or invites meaty dialog between respected scholars and thinkers. This is a traveling exhibit based on a coffee-table book based on the second generation iteration of a magazine based on an idea jotted down on a napkin at a cocktail party. And the line-up of supporting events is pretty weak: weighted more toward looking at films rather than thinking.
How exactly does the work of Liz Goldwyn, a scion of celebrity herself, relate to celebrity image-making? She made a superficial film about burlesque performers, many of them obscure and not celebrities during their time, and then adapted it into a book. Yet these endeavors qualify her to lead an event talk, “From Burlesque to Couture,” on November 17th. Oh, wait, once upon a time La Goldwyn was a contributor to style.com and other publications in the Conde Nast empire. Oh, I see, she’s family. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that she’s also affiliated with Burberry, the exhibits corporate sponsor, in some way. Perhaps Liz is slated for an advertorial campaign in Vanity Fair’s Oscar’s issue. She’s certainly not cool enough for a Marc Jacobs ad.
I wonder how the LACMA’s blog, Unframed, is gonna spin the entire exhibit-a most excellent exercise in corporate-museum shilling as ever I’ve seen.
I don’t mean to be so bitchy, but LACMA’s just asking for it with such vapid and transparent commercialism. I thought Michael Govan was going to curtail these embarrassments…
The full list of events follows: There is a panel discussion on “Constructing Celebrity,” scheduled for next spring. Organizers better up serve up panelists with real intellectual heft for such a banal topic and not just recruit folks like Heidi Klum’s stylist…which wouldn’t happen anyway because all the stylists will be at Fashion Week prepping for the Oscars. I want to see Valerie Steele up there, people (if the Getty Center can fly her out for a talk, so can LACMA)!
I want discussion about the limits of celebrity-derived culture, explorations into whether celebrity will drive US post capitalist culture in 5 years and smart connections made between the rise of celebrity culture in the 17th century and its contribution to the French Revolution in the 18th century. Are you feeling me, LACMA curator Charlotte Cotton?
Public Programs
Film: Pretty Things
October 26 | 1 pm | Bing Theater
Talk: From Burlesque to Couture
November 17 | 7:30 pm | Bing Theater
Film: Grey Gardens
January 11 | 1 pm | Bing Theater
Film: Thin
February 8 | 1 pm | Bing Theater
Film: Model
February 22 | 1 pm | Brown Auditorium
Panel Discussion: Constructing Celebrity
February 24 | 7 pm | Brown Auditorium
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[...] Comments « Apples and Oranges…and Melons [...]
Her ” documentary ” about burlesque could be interesting if all the parts where she is in it could be removed. she is so narcissistic and has no grace at all !
Now she is pairing with Von Teese to introduce their “protege”, a so called rising star of burlesque !????? PLEEEASE , that Ava Garter ? she is so boring , no grace , no elegance and the dumbest smile BUT she is Von Teese ‘s friend so… here we go …