I recently returned to LACMA for my second viewing of the  Expressionism Show, From Van Gogh to Kandinsky in Germany and France and I loved it even more the second time.

There are many scholarly reviews online about this exhibit, however, this isn’t one of them. That said, I simply can’t say enough good things about this show. It made me feel something, and I found myself standing in front of several paintings, drinking them in, luxuriating in their use of color and their bold brush strokes. I’ve traveled the world and seen many great shows, and many great paintings. Therefore, I yield to my eyes better judgement, and trust my instincts. Great art is great art, and when you see it you know. If a curator or scholar tells me it’s brilliant and I don’t get it, then so be it. The bottom line I ask myself is, would I want to live with it? And with this exhibit, I offer a resounding yes!! Please Please Please give me that Kandinsky in the black frame!! (Fourth image down) Some scholars are saying this show isn’t meant to be a blockbuster exhibit, but rather a bridge from Post Impressionism into Expressionism, spanning the periods from 1900 – 1914.  All I know, is that this show resonates with me in a very profound way and is  one of my favorite exhibits I’ve seen at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art during the last decade. My other other fave was the block buster  2006 Magritte exhibit: Magritte and Contemporary Art: The Treachery of Images, which included carpets of clouds on the floor, and wall paper on the ceiling of Los Angeles Freeways.  Both of these shows have created total environments, which totally appeals to the interior designer in me.  

One of the elements that I LOVED was the use of black walls with navy blue insets, that made the paintings jump off the wall. And I also loved how intimate works on paper were juxtaposed next to oil paintings from different periods. It’s the same way a sophisticated home owner would create groupings in their home if they had this caliber of work. While I know there’s an intellectual order to the way this show was hung, I simply have to say that this layout makes the entire exhibit warmer and easier to absorb. This show is also much more varied than the title suggests. I was surprised to learn that there are more than 40 artists in this exhibit, and works from different periods, such a Post-Impressionism, Fauvism, and Cubism.  In total there are 90 paintings, and 45 works on paper.

Don’t be intimidated if you don’t know a thing about art. You don’t need to, all you simply need to do is show up, and start educating your eye. I guarantee you’ll find something that excites you here, which in return, may teach you a little something about yourself.

LACMA: Expressionism: From Van Gogh to Kandinsky – Germany and France. Closes September 14, 2014