TOUCH Opens at ESMoA: Sunday, October 11, 2015 - Various
Presented By: ESMoA
(Below information from press release)
The thriving L.A. art scene of the last several decades is impossible to capture in a single exhibition, no matter how large. The new art experience from ESMoA in El Segundo, California, TOUCH: Original Artworks Paired with Photographic Portraits by Jim McHugh, dares to do just that. TOUCH celebrates the bohemian, creative spirit of L.A. not only through a selection of original artworks, but also by providing rare photographic access into the studios of the artists who touched a nerve and transformed the city into one of the world’s art capitals. The archives of renowned photographer Jim McHugh hold nearly four decades of rare images chronicling the city and the diversity of artists working there.
TOUCH opens at ESMoA on Sunday, October 11, 2015 with curatorial remarks by Edward Goldman at 2:00 pm. The art experience will run through January 31, 2016.
The latest of 19 art experiences presented at ESMoA, TOUCH ventures to pair Jim McHugh’s photographic portraits of L.A. artists - including rarely seen vintage Polaroids and original 8x10 transparencies - with original works by many of the artists who have posed for McHugh.
The selection of artworks and photographic imagery presented in TOUCH reflects the close relationship that Edward Goldman and Jim McHugh have forged with many artists over the past few decades. They are chroniclers of the L.A. art scene who share a deep understanding of the artists and their work. Many of the exhibited paintings, drawings and sculptures are direct loans from the artists’ studios - a friendly response to a personal request. Private collectors and galleries have also graciously agreed to loan artworks.
TOUCH features Lita Albuqueque, John Baldessari, Mark Bradford, Mary Corse, Gajin Fujita, Alexandra Grant, Gronk, David Hockney, Mike Kelley, Rachel Lachowicz, Enrique Martínez Celaya, Ed Moses, Noah Purifoy, Ed Ruscha, Alison Saar, Peter Shelton, John Sonsini, Henry Taylor, and the list goes on.
This art experience brings together two of the L.A. art scene’s most passionate devotees. McHugh is critically acclaimed for his series of Artist Portraits, first exhibited at the James Corcoran Gallery in L.A. in 1984. In 2011, as part of the Getty Museum’s “Pacific Standard Time” celebrating art in L.A. from 1945-1985, Timothy Yarger Fine Art presented “Los Angeles: 40 Artists – Photographed by Jim McHugh.” The photographer has published several books on artists and shot several more including California Painters: New Work with curator Henry Hopkins and The Art of Light and Space with art historian Jan Butterfield. Currently he is photographing street artists and completing a book with L.A. builder Rick Caruso, New Landmarks on the Urban Landscape.
The other devotee behind TOUCH is art critic Edward Goldman, host of the weekly program, “Art Talk,” on L.A.’s National Pubic Radio affiliated station, KCRW. Fearless, fun and plugged in, Goldman holds impassioned views on what he sees in galleries, museums and art events throughout the world. Formerly employed by the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, he is a prominent author and lecturer and serves as a panelist, moderator and speaker for many museums and arts organizations. He is also a regular contributor to The Huffington Post.
Located on 208 Main Street in El Segundo, California, ESMoA opened in January 2013.
