MOCA's First Thirty Years is a retrospective that covers 30 years of the Los Angeles museum's artistic contributions to the public. Since opening its doors in 1979, MOCA has prided itself on making the best of contemporary art available to the masses, and this behemoth of a collection—featuring more than 500 pieces by over 200 artists from 1940 to today—is a reflection of this cultural richness.

Novice art connoisseurs, or even those who don't know Mondrian from Michelangelo, will inarguably be impressed by this compendium of some of the 20th Century's most impressive pieces. Diane Arbus? Check. Jackson Pollock? Check. Mark Rothko? You get the idea. The list goes on and on, and the exhibition will enjoy a long run at the downtown location—through May 3rd of next year, to be exact. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-11-23T15:59:32-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/16/23511/706

Oh my gosh, would you believe that another building by Zaha Hadid got built? The Baghdad-born architect is famous for her futuristic designs, but most only stay looking good on paper. She has a few buildings scattered around the world, but the newest one in Rome takes the cake in terms of scale and space.

Dubbed the MAXXI Museum, or National Museum of the XXI Century Arts, it is a triumph for Zaha. Having opened only several days ago and described by the NYT as "less a unified lone structure than a convergence of long, shiny, serpentine modules — a bit like a space-age highway interchange," the Maxxi is already going down in architecture history. And since we've got a thing for good design, modern art and any new museum exhibitions, the Maxxi is fresh on our radar as well. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-11-17T09:29:28-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/30/12056/352

Spider-Man, Batman, and the X-Men are just a few of the superheroes who've earned a respected place in the comic book canon. Dedicated collectors know about mainstream bionic men and woman, and maybe a few underground characters as well, but a new exhibit at Los Angeles' LACMA introduces the public to the transportive world of Indian comics.

Being generally familiar with stories from Hindu epics such as the Ramayana, our interest in modern renderings of ancient gods and goddesses, and the interpretation of said stories, is what drew us to the exhibit. Heroes and Villains: The Battle for Good in India's Comics runs through February 7th of next year, and is a compact representation of cultural comic book art and well-preserved folios from hundreds of years ago. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-10-30T15:34:19-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/28/153637/79

Only in San Francisco would a house with a tree that shoots fire be considered a future museum site. That is, if saw player extraordinaire and former hotelier Bob Pritikin has his way. According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, Pritikin, who often throws lavish fundraisers at his residence—sort of an adult's fun house with kitschy memorabilia strewn throughout—is hoping to "pay the bills, make a nice contribution to the community and have some daytime visitors" by transforming his mansion into a museum. He originally suggested the less-than-humble "Only in San Francisco" name for the prospective museum site, though his hopes were dashed after learning that the city's Convention & Visitors Bureau already owns said URL.

The visiting groups would be relatively small, limited to 20 people per day, six days a week, says the Chronicle. Pritikin's idea, if realized, would place his home in the esteemed, eccentric company of one of the Bay Area's other homes-turned-tourist attractions, the Winchester Mystery House. This isn't Pritikin's first hubris-driven campaign on behalf of his home, having previously lobbied for it to have it turned into San Francisco's mayoral residence in 2004. That plan predictably never took off, and handsome politico Gavin Newsom is dwelling elsewhere these days.]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-10-29T10:24:18-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/21/102835/87

The courtyard at The Getty Center, Los Angeles

Today, street style dominates the blogosphere and the foremost fashion websites. We're a culture of voyeurs: If it's being worn by Anna Wintour or a MOD (that's insider-speak for Model Off Duty), or photographed paparazzi-style, then we'll sit, stare, and come back for more. But before The Sartorialist and Bill Cunningham were all the rage, a different kind of street style was of interest: real people, wearing layman's clothing, photographed against a neutral backdrop rather than the hustle and bustle of a big city.

Los Angeles' Getty Center is currently celebrating photography vanguard Irving Penn, who recently passed away after a storied career working for magazines including Harper's Bazaar and Vogue. Irving Penn: Small Trades is an exhibition of Penn's photographs from the early 1950s featuring men and women in their work attire. A milkman with a checked shirt and pants riding high, a steel mill firefighter in full protective regalia, and prim and proper ballroom dancing team are just a few of the highlights from Small Trades. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-10-21T14:33:41-05:00 34.0778720 -118.47375 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/19/161419/40

Deadheads, book your New York City vacation now, as the New York Historical Society has announced that in March 2010, they will mount an exhibition of the Grateful Dead Archive. It will be the largest exhibition of its kind ever, and is sure to have fans breaking out their Jerry Garcia-brand ties for the occasion.

According to the official description, "Grateful Dead: Now Playing at The New York Historical Society", as the exhibitions is called, "will chronicle the history of the Grateful Dead, its music, and phenomenal longevity through an array of original art and documents related to the band, its members, performances, and productions." If you've been a hardcore fan for years, be sure to look closely at the piles of fan mail that will be exhibited, just in case you ever wondered why Phil Lesh never responded to your sincere letter asking him to play at your prom. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-10-19T17:13:40-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/14/0126/6262

This tiara, which Salma Hayek donned for a 1998 White House correspondent's dinner (who knew such dinners had a royalty dress code), will be featured at the Field.

Chicago will see some dazzle when "The Nature of Diamonds" brings more than 800 jewels to the Field Museum on October 23. You'll see bling from top-notch designers such as Tiffany & Co., Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron and Cartier.

The centerpiece of the exhibit will be The Vault, a reproduced vault that will showcase rare pieces that have rarely been on display. See the diamond jewelry owned by Mae West, Catherine the Great, Joan Crawford, Elton John and other celebs. A highlight is the 128.54-carat Tiffany Diamond, one of the world's largest and finest yellow diamonds, and the 407.48-carat Incomparable Diamond, the largest flawless diamond graded by the Gemological Institute of America and the third-largest cut diamond ever recorded. ]]> Jennifer Kester 2009-10-14T13:28:37-05:00 41.8770954 -87.617397 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/