At the LACMA - “Pure Beauty” - a Retrospective of John Baldessari’s works

By: Sarah Youngson | July 27, 2010 | Art

A clip of John Baldessari’s Raised Eyebrows / Furrowed Foreheads: Two Arms (Pointing in Opposite Directions), 2009

One of the most influential figures in American art, and one of the leading conceptual artists, John Baldessari, is the subject of the current retrospective at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. A California native, Baldessari is known worldwide for his off-beat, outrageous and funny reinterpretations of the photograph. His art is noted for pushing boundaries within the traditional conception of painting, and “art” itself as defined by the art historical cannon.

John Baldessari, Beach Scene Nuns Nurse (with Choices), 1991

Baldessari is widely recognized as having an immense impact on the current state of contemporary art. His most notable pieces are comprised of mixed media and collage, using paint, text, film stills, and superimposition. Playing with irony, humor, and cultural reference, Baldessari works with clippings from photographs and relics of the past, painting and cropping to create new meaning.
True Beauty, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art retrospective, follows several exhibitions of his work, including exhibitions at the Tate Modern in London, the MACBA, Barcelona, the Metropolitan Museum New York, and his prestigious 2009 Golden Lion for a Lifetime Achievement award at the Venice Biennale. John Baldessari’s True Beauty will be at the LACMA from June 27 – September 12, 2010.

John Baldessari at his home in Venice, CA.

www.lacma.org