SIMULACRA : ARCA LUMIS

This series of busts and figures was taken last summer at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles (the main hub, not the villa annex). Truthfully, I wasn’t sure if I should include them in this section, as this gallery is generally devoted to dolls, toys, figurines, mannequins, and kitsch of the highest order; however, I noted the similarity in tone and texture to my earlier series of Christmas mannequins and took comfort in the possibility (however remote) that some of these busts and figures may have been used as hat stands, clothes horses, hairpiece holders, ad absurdum. The Getty is a truly democratic museum, incidentally; they allow you to take pictures unimpeded and provide materials and stands for drawing from life. Best of all, it’s free to get in. It also has a colorful benefactor, Mr. Getty, the former L.A. playboy and entrepreneur who so artfully stated “The meek shall inherit the earth, but not the mineral rights,” as well as the priceless gem “A lasting relationship with a woman is only possible if you are a business failure.” Luckily for us plebes, he collected more art and antiques than wives.

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