ART:

Tristan Eaton is currently holding his first retrospective at the Long Beach Museum of Art. On view is a number of paintings and interactive installations, along with toys and sculptures that have equally become just as integral to his 25-year career. 

To complement the exhibition, Eaton is releasing the OG DEVIL BUNNY, an early design that kicked off his foray into toy design. The 8” Rotary Cast Soft Vinyl figure references an 18-year-old sketch that the artist made at a Brooklyn diner in the early stages of his career. Despite never being made into a vinyl figure, the sketch would influence his prolific art career, along with becoming an influence as he co-founded the legendary toy brand, Kidrobot. 

Limited to an edition of 250, the black and red figures come signed by the artist and include a box showcasing the original sketch. The OG DEVIL BUNNY is Eaton’s first toy release in 13 years and will be available today for presale at 12:00 PM PST on the artist’s website.Over the course of his 80-year career, Pablo Picasso was constantly pushing himself across different mediums. Painting was undoubtedly the hallmark of his oeuvre, but printmaking, too, served as a vital platform for experimentation. 

As a survey into his prints, Pasadena’s Norton Simon Museum has just unveiled a new exhibition, entitled “Unseen Picasso.” By nature of the process, printmaking requires artists to simplify their work to meet industry standards. It was no different for Picasso, who would take his already abstracted figures and nudes and turn them into a far more minimalist display. 

Contrary to the multiples that are produced with prints, Picasso often pulled one-of-a-kind impressions to tinker with during the process. One such work is his 1946 lithograph Two Nude Women, which is on display at the museum. Unique to the print is that it is the eighth of 21 different configurations made of the artwork.

“Unseen Picasso” presents 16 prints made between the 1930s and 1960s. The display is a compelling study into the artist’s thought process as he experimented through each of the artworks’ different configurations. The exhibition will be on view until January 10.

Also in the news, Kehinde Wiley has been commissioned by The Huntington Library to reimagine Thomas Gainsborough’s The Blue Boy.

Norton Simon Museum
411 W Colorado Blvd,
Pasadena, CA 91105Kehinde Wiley has been busy at work on many exciting projects. From the Obama Portraits touring around the country to his redesign of the MTV VMA’s trophy, along with designs for American Express and a new statue for the upcoming Destination Crenshaw. 

To add to the list, Wiley has been commissioned by The Huntington Library to recreate one of the institution’s most prized artworks — Thomas Gainsborough’s 18th Century masterpiece, The Blue Boy. The art depicts a young member of the British Aristocracy — one to which Wiley would frequently observe as a child, when his mother would take him to visit art museums, such as the Huntington. 

In a statement regarding the project, Wiley said:

“Looking at those paintings gave me a sense of joy and wonder. But there was also a disconnect — the life I was having in South-Central Los Angeles and then these incredibly mannered and organized gardens and these portraits that hung on the walls. ‘The Blue Boy’ represents, for me, an ability to address the different standards with regards to who gets recognized, who gets praised.”

Wiley’s interpretation will be entitled, A Portrait of a Young Gentleman, a nod to the original name given to The Blue Boy in 1770. For an artist who is well-versed in history, the project provides a fantastic opportunity to look at the “art of the past in ways that are very new and important today,” according to Huntington director, Christina Nielsen.

A Portrait of a Young Gentleman will exhibit at The Huntington Library from October 2 to January 3 in the original spot that The Blue Boy typically sits. 

In case you missed it, Mexico City has removed a 150-year-old statue of Christopher Columbus. 

The Huntington Library
1151 Oxford Rd,
San Marino, CA 91108