The Un-Private Collection: Takashi Murakami and Pico Iyer
May 29, 2014, 8pm PST
Orpheum Theatre
Los Angeles
www.thebroad.org
In anticipation of its opening in 2015, The Broad has launched The Un-Private Collection, a series of conversations featuring unexpected pairings of cultural leaders and influential artists in the Broad collections, taking place at venues around Los Angeles.
On May 29, internationally acclaimed contemporary Japanese artist Takashi Murakami will be in conversation with bestselling author and longtime resident of Japan Pico Iyer. Murakami is known for his bold, graphic works that merge fine art, design and animation and continue to blur the lines between high art and pop culture. The author of numerous books on crossing cultures and a regular contributor to Time, Harper’s, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, and many other publications, Iyer’s writings intersect with Murakami’s work in their focus on the common disconnect between local tradition and imported global pop culture. The pair will discuss the complex social and historical narratives woven into Murakami’s work and how they reflect upon contemporary Japanese culture.
This upcoming talk in The Un-Private Collection series comes on the heels of an extraordinarily popular response to the February talk featuring artist Jeff Koons with cult filmmaker John Waters, which drew 1,900 people to the Orpheum Theatre, plus more than 8,000 viewers to the online video. With such turnouts, the series exceeds typical attendance of any other museum lecture series.
“We’ve been really gratified by the public response to The Un-Private Collection series,” said Joanne Heyler, founding director of The Broad, “and the upcoming talks promise to continue this momentum. Murakami, whose work we’ve collected for over a decade, and writer Iyer share mutual interests in the cross-pollination of pop culture and ancient traditions, including Buddhism. The Un-Private Collection series’ pairings of visual artists with creative visionaries from other fields is designed to awaken a sense of discovery about leading artists working today, often with an element of humor and surprise.”
Tickets
Mark your calendar to watch a livestream of the conversation in real time. Questions from online and in-person audiences are taken for the speakers to address at the end of the program.
Upcoming talks in The Un-Private Collection series
Eric Fischl and Steve Martin, June 23, The Broad Stage, sold out—standby line available night of
John Currin and James Cuno, September 14, The Getty
Kara Walker and Ava DuVernay, October 11, Writers Guild Theater
About The Broad
The Broad is a contemporary art museum under construction on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles dedicated to the collections of Eli and Edythe Broad. Designed by architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the museum will open in 2015 and will offer free general admission to all. The Broad will be home to the nearly 2,000 works of art in the Broad collections, which are among the most prominent holdings of postwar and contemporary art worldwide.
For complete program details, livestreams of all upcoming programs, podcasts of past programs, tickets, and to sign-up for e-news, visit thebroad.org.
