(Originally published in 2017)
The Getty Center decided to celebrate painter/photographer David Hockney’s 80th birthday with two galleries of his work. One contains self-portraits over his lifetime; the other houses a selection of his ‘photographic’ paintings done back in the 1980s.
Best Hockney painting of a dangerous California highway
His masterwork photocollage entitled ‘Pear Blossom Highway’, which was originally commissioned and then rejected by Vanity Fair magazine, is in this show. For those of you outside of So. California, there really is a highway north of L.A. called Pear Blossom Highway. On the map it appears to be a fast way from the Valley and West side of L.A. to the 15 highway to Vegas. In reality it is/was a narrow desert road–not faster at all and quite scary to drive. It was widened some years ago but is still a dangerous route through the Mojave desert that eventually wanders off into the mountains.
And amazing French furniture
Since the Hockney show was relatively small I went into the South Pavilion where I had never been before. Don’t know how I missed it, but I had! And was surprised by extraordinary French furniture from the 17th and 18th Centuries. Here are just a few items in the collection.
