MOCA clarifies JF Chen's relationship to James Franco's 'Rebel'

Earlier this week, Culture Monster wrote about the James Franco-conceived show, "Rebel," which will be presented by MOCA and on view at JF Chen, a large exhibition space owned by Hollywood antiques dealer JF Chen from May 15 to June 23.

For some, the choice to place an exhibit in a space owned by a dealer, albeit one of furniture and design objects and not the kind of artwork represented in "Rebel," prompted questions. Most notably, the Modern Art Notes blog wrote, "It’s extremely unusual — and perhaps unprecedented — for a museum to put an exhibition in a space owned by a dealer or to accept funds from a dealer to place an exhibition in a space he owns." The LA Observed blog took it a step further, putting the headline  "MOCA gets in bed with dealer and James Franco" on its story about the show.

But MOCA spokeswoman Lyn Winter said that Chen is not a financial contributor to the exhibit. Chen is an "in-kind donor” who “made the space available for the project at a reduced rate,” she said.

Writer Tyler Green at the Modern Art Notes blog has since amended his post. In addition to noting the in-kind donor arrangement, he trimmed his quote to read "It’s extremely unusual — and perhaps unprecedented — for a museum to put an exhibition in a space owned by a dealer." Those corrections are also reflected at the LA Observed blog post.

MOCA director Jeffrey Deitch, a prominent New York art dealer before coming west, has been closely watched since he took the position in 2010. MOCA was recently criticized by L.A. Times critic Christopher Knight for engaging the owner of high-end vintage clothing store Decades as a guest curator for a show at its Pacific Design Center branch focusing on the great L.A. fashion designer Rudi Gernreich (1922-1985).

As previously noted, "Rebel" isn't the first time JF Chen has opened his space to art shows or art-related events. In 2010, the art-radio collective dublab hosted a fundraiser in the space. More prominently, in conjunction with the Getty-spearheaded Pacific Standard Time, Chen invited the public last fall to view the exhibition "Collecting Eames, the JF Chen Collection."

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-- Margaret Wappler

Photo: "Brad Renfro Forever" (2011), for "Rebel," featuring James Franco, Scott Haze, Mark Mahoney and Jim Parrack. From the artist.

MOCA presents James Franco's 'Rebel'; taps Beastie Boy for fest

MOCA announced Wednesday an exhibit conceived by celebrity art rogue James Franco that will focus on the 1955 James Dean movie "Rebel Without a Cause."

"Rebel," though presented by MOCA, will be on view at JF Chen, the Hollywood space of furniture dealer Joel Chen. The show, running May 15 to June 23, also includes work by Douglas Gordon, Harmony Korine, Damon McCarthy, Paul McCarthy, Terry Richardson, Ed Ruscha, and Aaron Young that will explore the themes of the movie, a classic of teenage angst directed by Nicholas Ray.

The choice of venue is already raising a few eyebrows in the art world. JF Chen is described by the MOCA news release as "a newly emerging contemporary art and design space." Indeed, in conjunction with Pacific Standard Time, Chen opened his space to the public last fall for the exhibition "Collecting Eames, the JF Chen Collection." But the news release also notes that Chen was a donor to the "Rebel" exhibition.

As the Modern Art Notes blog puts it, "It’s extremely unusual — and perhaps unprecedented — for a museum to put an exhibition in a space owned by a dealer or to accept funds from a dealer to place an exhibition in a space he owns."

A MOCA spokeswoman clarified to MAN's Tyler Green that Chen will not be selling any of the objects in the exhibition. “Joel Chen is very interested in and supportive of contemporary art and design, and he’s been incredibly collaborative with this project,” MOCA spokeswoman Lyn Winter said to MAN. “The project is being presented by MOCA in conjunction with the artists and JF Chen has been very supportive in hosting the exhibition.”

L.A. Phil's Borda and Bohnett to attend White House dinner

For David Bohnett, the technology entrepreneur, philanthropist and chairman of the L.A. Philharmonic, Wednesday is a big night. With his guest Deborah Borda, president and CEO of the L.A. Phil, he'll be attending a White House state dinner honoring British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha Cameron.

We hope Bohnett remembered to pack his tux, though this wonky blog post from Washington Post tells us this isn't technically a state dinner, which is reserved purely for heads of state (that would be Queen Elizabeth), but rather an official dinner. Either way, we remain impressed and jealous that Bohnett will be serenaded by a live performance from the PM-selected British folk group Mumford & Sons and Obama favorite John Legend.

The full guest list for the dinner -- which will be held in a tent Wednesday night on the South Lawn -- has yet to be revealed but a few invitees have gushed their exciting news to the press, including Damian Lewis from "Homeland" and Hugh Bonneville, the earl of Grantham from "Downton Abbey" fame. Bohnett, Borda and the other guests will be dining on a British-American menu, including the main course, Bison Wellington, made from buffalo tenderloin from North Dakota.

'Barrymore' with Christopher Plummer to hit movie theaters in fall

We know what seductive things actor Christopher Plummer said to his Oscar statue this year at the Academy Awards. Now imagine what sweet nothings he'd murmur to a second Oscar, if he got the chance.

The octogenarian actor, who won for his portrayal of Ewan McGregor's late-blooming father in "Beginners," could be a contender again with "Barrymore," the movie focusing on the acting legend that is set to run in U.S. theaters this fall. Plummer won a 1997 Tony Award for his turn as John Barrymore in the Broadway play written by William Luce. (No word on what Plummer cooed to that lucky award, though it should be noted that it's just a boring old medallion, not a man.)

Directed and adapted by Erik Canuel, the high-definition movie capturing Plummer's performance with multiple cameras was done over seven days on location and on the stage during a limited run at the Elgin Theater in Toronto.

Explosions in the sky: Cai Guo-Qiang lures aliens to MOCA April 7*

Hello? Is anyone out there? And do you like fireworks set off by world-renowned artists?

Come April 7, Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang will try to have his own close encounter of the third kind at MOCA's Geffen Contemporary. In the site-specific work, "Mystery Circle: Explosion Event for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles," the pyrotechnically inclined artist will set off three stages of explosions, which will continue on a theme he's been long exploring: the possibility of life in outer space.

As we best understand it, the first stage of the event for museum members will involve Cai letting loose flying saucer girandolas at dusk. Those will ignite, signaling a shower of more than 30,000 mini-rockets that will form crop circles that will launch toward the audience before falling to the ground.

In the second stage, an imaginary alien-god figure (cue the sounds of ELO's "Livin' Thing" or the soaring rock opera of your choice) will appear on the wall, outlined by gunpowder fuses. At the final stage, those fuses will burn down and shoot mini-rockets into the air. The rockets will then leave a burned imprint on the museum wall, creating an outdoor drawing.

In other words, a whole bunch of stuff will be on fire. Satisfied, pyromaniacs?

Davy Jones as Artful Dodger in 'Oliver!' and other stage turns

Before Davy Jones became the most wee Monkee in 1966 and the object of Marsha Brady's crush five years later, he was a star of the stage. Playing the Artful Dodger in the musical "Oliver!" Jones rode his success all the way from London's West End to Broadway, nabbing a Tony award nomination in 1963.

In a YouTube video, Jones kicks off "I'd do Anything" as the Dodger in 1964, nattily dressed -- especially for a thief -- in a capelet and top hat.

Davy Jones died of a heart attack in Florida on Wednesday. The singer-actor, who was 66, had been  scheduled to perform Monkees songs at the La Mirada Theatre on March 31.

PHOTOS: Davy Jones | 1945-2012

Hailing from Manchester, England, Jones had already cut his teeth at the tender age of 11 on a popular BBC soap, "Coronation Street," but it was his role as the Artful Dodger that brought him on "The Ed Sullivan Show" the same night the Beatles made their explosive debut.

It was an auspicious encounter that would set Jones' agenda for the rest of his life. In the book "Right Here on Our Stage Tonight!: Ed Sullivan’s America" Jones recalls the frenzy: “I watched the Beatles from the side of the stage, I saw the girls going crazy, and I said to myself, this is it, I want a piece of that.”

Stephen Sondheim has '20 or 30 minutes' written of a new musical

Stephen Sondheim may not give a whit about posterity, as he tells a reporter with the London Evening Standard, but that doesn't mean he's content to rest on his classics.

In a lengthy chat in which Sondheim laments the theater culture in America (more on that in a moment), he also shares that he's got "20 or 30 minutes" written of a new musical, in collaboration with American playwright David Ives, who took on sadomasochism in his 2010 play "Venus in Fur." Though "Sweeney Todd" similarly sports a dark streak, there's no word from Sondheim if this new work will follow suit.

Songwriting is rough going for the artist, now 81, who claims to be out of practice on the piano after spending his recent years writing two books, both memoirs of his career as a composer and lyricist. (His "Look I Made a Hat" was just announced as a finalist for the fifth annual Sheridan Morley Prize for Theatre Biography.)

"I'm really rusty," Sondheim confessed. "I sit at the piano and think, 'Where's middle C?' Any muscles, as you know, atrophy when you don't use them, and I haven't been using my musical muscles."

Art thief gets 1 to 3 years in prison in New York

Mark Lugo, 31, was sentenced to prison in New York on Tuesday following a bicoastal series of art thefts, including the theft of a $350,000 drawing by Cubist painter Fernand Leger from a lobby gallery at Manhattan’s Carlyle Hotel. He'd previously served time in California for walking off with a $275,000 Picasso drawing called “Tete de Femme” from San Francisco's Weinstein Gallery.

A judge sentenced him to one to three years behind bars, though he could be released after six months of toiling in a boot camp-style program.

Lugo, a sommelier and waiter in upscale Manhattan  restaurants, apparently didn't steal art to sell it. Instead, according to his lawyer, James Montgomery, "his interest in these things were aesthetic."

Indeed, Lugo sought to satisfy his tastes, which aren't of the shabby-chic variety. Investigators found a $430,000 collection of stolen art hanging in Lugo’s apartment in Hoboken, N.J., authorities said. Lugo has also been accused of taking three bottles of Chateau Petrus Pomerol — together worth $6,000 — from a wine shop last April. That case is pending.

A wine sommelier who steals art not to hawk but simply to satisfy his aesthetic cravings? Sounds like a good movie role for Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who looks nothing like Lugo, we'll admit, but that's the magic of cinema for you.

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--Margaret Wappler

Photo: Booking photo from October 2011 of Mark Lugo. Credit: San Francisco district attorney / AP

 

Obamas attend groundbreaking for African American history museum

The Smithsonian Institution officially broke ground this morning on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, slated to open in 2015. Located on the National Mall, the Smithsonian's 19th museum will be a $500-million complex dedicated to documenting the life, art, history and culture of African Americans.

Though work had already begun on the site, Wednesday's fete marked the official start of construction and included remarks from President Obama, former First Lady Laura Bush, Georgia Democratic Rep. John Lewis -- an icon of the civil rights era -- and was emceed by actress Phylicia Rashad, best known for her role as Claire Huxtable in the 1980s sitcom "The Cosby Show."

The ceremony also included performances from opera singers Denyce Graves (who sang the national anthem, pictured above) and Thomas Hampson, as well as jazz pianist Jason Moran, who played Duke Ellington's "I Like the Sunrise."

A prairie house for puppies: Frank Lloyd Wright's doghouse

If Snoopy had a doghouse like the one Frank Lloyd Wright designed for a black Labrador named Eddie, would he still have slept on the roof?

Maybe so, according to the Marin Independent Journal. It turns out Eddie, whose 12-year-old master, Jim Berger, beseeched the great architect to dream up a doghouse for his canine friend in 1956, never slept in his illustrious digs.

Looking at a picture of the original doghouse, constructed in 1963, you can imagine why the dog wouldn't sleep in it. All imposing geometry, Wright's pooch palace is small and sharp-angled. Maybe Wright should have made it look more like a hamburger?