December at LACMA: Monet/Lichtenstein, Bruce Nauman, Rodarte, Contested Visions symposium, and more

EXHIBITIONS + INSTALLATIONS
	MONET / LICHTENSTEIN: ROUEN CATHEDRALSON VIEW THROUGH JAN 1 From 1892 to 1895, Claude Monet painted thirty views of the Rouen Cathedral in France. More than six decades later, Roy Lichtenstein was inspired to paint his own pop art cathedral series. This installation pairs the two artists' cathedral paintings, uniting these (seemingly) disparate artists.  Learn more_
	_ BRUCE NAUMAN: FOR BEGINNERS NOW ON VIEW For Beginners (all the combinations of the thumb and fingers) stacks two frames of video images of artist Bruce Nauman's hands with commentary on the different combinations he creates. His fingers shift as his voice delivers different commands. Suggestive of a struggle between words and actions, the physical and the mental, Nauman forces us to look again at the simplest of our own gestures. Learn more
	_ RODARTE: FRA ANGELICO COLLECTION DEC 17–FEB 5 RODARTE: Fra Angelico Collection features ten extraordinary gowns by Kate and Laura Mulleavy that were inspired by Italian art, specifically the Renaissance frescoes in the monastery of San Marco by Fra Angelico (c. 1350–1455) in Florence, Italy, as well as the Baroque sculpture Ecstasy of Saint Teresa by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680) in Rome.  Learn more
	METROPOLIS II COMING SOON Metropolis II is an intense and complex kinetic sculpture that features hundreds of miniature cars speeding through an elaborate roadway system and trains hustling along on intricately placed tracks. Towering nine feet high and spread across more than five hundred square feet, Metropolis II is massive and, according to artist Chris Burden, “produces in the viewer the stress of living in a dynamic, active, and bustling twenty-first-century city.” Learn more_
	_ MORE EXHIBITIONS ON VIEW Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads Asco: Elite of the Obscure, A Retrospective, 1972–1987 California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way" Contested Visions in the Spanish Colonial World Edward Kienholz: Five Car Stud 1969–1972, Revisited Glenn Ligon: AMERICA Mural Remix: Sandra de la Loza _
FREE TALKS + EVENTS
	_ SYMPOSIUM: CONTESTED VISIONS IN THE SPANISH COLONIAL WORLD DEC 2–4 LACMA and UCLA are co-sponsoring a major international three-day symposium in conjunction with Contested Visions in the Spanish Colonial World, which brings together thirty of the most distinguished scholars in the field from Mexico, South America, Europe, and the United States.  Learn more and view the full schedule
	_  ART RENTAL & SALES GALLERY WINTER EXHIBITION OPENING DEC 3 | 5–7 pm Attend the opening night reception of the Art Rental & Sales Gallery winter exhibition featuring artists Jiyon Hong and Scott Jamieson. Artworks in the ARSG are available to LACMA members for rental and for sale to members and the general public. The exhibition will be on view through February 9, 2012. Learn more
	_ 24TH ANNUAL MICHELE BERTON MEMORIAL LECTURE ON JAPANESE ART DEC 4 | 3:30 pm Written a millennium ago by Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genji has captured the hearts of generations of Japanese audiences. Lynne K. Miyake, professor of Japanese, Asian studies, and Asian American studies at Pomona College, traces the incredible cultural journey of what is considered to be the world’s first novel and its current influence on manga comics. Learn more_
	_ CULTURE CLASH: BANNED IN ARIZONA WELCOMED AT LACMA DEC 4 | 4 pm Created in 1984 in San Francisco's Mission District, Culture Clash is a leading performance art group and L.A.'s favorite satirical sons. Recently banned by the attorney general of Arizona, Culture Clash reads and performs from its new book of plays, Oh, Wild West!  Learn more _
	_ PANEL DISCUSSION: AI WEIWEI DEC 5 | 7:30 pm Three LACMA curators discuss the controversial art of Ai Weiwei, whose criticism of the Chinese government drew an arrest earlier this year and a government-imposed ban on Weiwei's talking to the media and using the internet. Ai Weiwei’s Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads is on view through February 12, 2012. Learn more _
	_ L.A. PRINT: EDITION 2 DEC 10 | 12 pm L.A. Print: Edition 2 is the second annual showcase of Los Angeles printmakers, dealers, galleries, and non-profits focusing on current trends in printmaking and publishing. Connect directly with artists, printers, and dealers to learn more about the production and collection of fine art prints and editions. With a variety of affordable prints available, it is perfect for those looking to build their own collection or to purchase special gifts for the holidays. Learn more
	_ YEONGSANJAE BUDDHIST CEREMONY DEC 11 | 2 pm The Yeongsanjae is a Korean Buddhist ceremony reenacting the Buddha’s delivery of the Lotus Sutra on Vulture Peak in India more than 2,600 years ago. Monks from the Kuyangsa Temple in Incheon, South Korea, will be performing the unique ritual that combines music, chanting, and dance in conjunction with the unveiling of the recently restored painting, Buddha Seokamoni (Shakyamuni) Preaching to the Assembly on Vulture Peak.  Learn more
FILM INDEPENDENT AT LACMA
	_ DINER DEC 1 | 7:30 pmSet during the last days of 1959, Diner follows five Baltimore guys testing each other and their friendships as an era comes to an end. Writer-director Gavin O’Connor (Warrior,Miracle) and director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) will appear in person to discuss the influence Levinson’s world had on their work.  SPOTLIGHT ON AKI KAURISMAKI: LA VIE DE BOHEME DEC 8 | 7:30 pmFinnish writer-director Aki Kaurismäki’s films are equal parts Beckettian comedy, kitchen-sink melodrama, and inebriated Nouvelle Vague lyricism. Kaurismäki’s acerbic take on La Vie de Bohème watches as three itinerant artists elbow, charm, and cajole their way through the streets of Paris as they struggle to maintain a modest standard of living and practice their crafts. SPOTLIGHT ON AKI KAURISMAKI: DRIFTING CLOUDS DEC 8 | 9:20 pm One of Kaurismäki’s most celebrated though least seen films Drifting Clouds follows a couple—a head waitress and a tram driver—as they lose their jobs in quick succession and must fend for themselves through a gauntlet of false starts, all the while trying to keep their new TV from being repossessed.  AWAARA DEC 10 | 7:30 pmAwaara (The Vagabond) focuses on a charming vagrant unaware of his high-class roots. The film marks the first appearance of director Raj Kapoor’s iconic tramp alter ego—a sly street urchin who stands in for India’s downtrodden—and boasts a twelve-minute surrealist dream sequence of staggering proportions.  LIVE READ OF THE PRINCESS BRIDE, DIRECTED BY JASON REITMAN DEC 15 | 7:30 pm Standby only The next installment in the series of director Jason Reitman’s readings of canonical film scripts will feature a surprise cast revisiting The Princess Bride, written by William Goldman.  Learn more and purchase tickets_