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The Mystery and Marvel of Artist Julie Mehretu at LACMAby Gordy Grundy There is something amazing going on at LACMA, but no one really knows about it. I did not, until a colleague pointed my beak in the direction of Julie Mehretu. She had been off my radar. (Mehretu is pronounced meh-RET-too.) I see this big, beautiful body of work online. And every new thing I learn is as fascinating as the last revelation. Mehretu is exciting to me. But something was suspicious. Why do I feel so energized about an artist's work and no one is talking about it? Where was the arts media? What am I missing?
Her LACMA show opened on November 3. Six weeks later, as of December 18, the LA Times had not reviewed the show. That's odd. Their only mention was a weekly show listing on November 3. It read, "Julie Mehretu Midcareer survey of the Ethiopian-born artist features abstract paintings and works on paper. Los Angeles County Museum of Art." That is a rather lackluster sales pitch for a very impressive Midcareer Survey, with work of an immensely large scale and other fascinating intrigues. The show travels throughout 2021 with stops at the Whitney, in Atlanta and the Walker.
LACMA is under siege, half closed and under construction. Your ticket gets you less. Many in the art community are not pleased with the costly, new redesign; Christopher Knight, art critic for the Los Angeles Times, has been a very vocal critic. No one has been in the mood to do the museum any favors or cut it some slack. I feared that the prevailing sentiment had clouded the bright Mehretu show. The Mehretu midcareer survey ends May 17, which still allows for plenty of thoughtful wordplay and discussion, but the silence from the LA Times was unsettling. Catherine Wagley and Artnet reviewed the show November 11 with great praise and interest.
Could the Los Angeles arts media have possibly overlooked the show? It seemed they had. Relevant good words are being said, so where is the media? As the year was ending and all of the Best Ofs were popping up like poinsettias, Christopher Knight gave Julie Mehretu at LACMA an Honorable Mention. It was the only show on the list without a link, a Bronx Cheer of a reminder that the show had not been reviewed. A colleague said, "(Mehretu) unfortunately does not get good reviews— for some reason." I can imagine many reasons why; Mehretu mystifies on many levels and works in ways that many see as disconcerting. She blithely waves many red flags. In our quick-to-judge worldview, it is easier to walk away from Mehretu, or any artist, than to step forward with curiosity and an open heart.
Upon a quick inspection of her works, one would assume the artist was a brooding white European male. But Mehretu is not; that is her first surprise upon many. She references a long list of artists, which begins with Gerhard Richter, Kazimir Malevich, Ralph Steadman and Albrecht Dürer. The second surprise is the scale of her work; it is colossal and massive, even mind-boggling. This creates an interesting outcome, a yin and yang. The production of art on this scale demands assistance. Whereas the lazy male is applauded for his Koons-like assembly line production, many believe a homespun female should knit the work herself. The artist is also challenged by the sincerity of her scale. Her brushwork is detailed, very much of the artist's hand. Does that still matter when the work is enlarged, far beyond the physical grasp? Whose artwork is it: the computer, the crew, the mechanical elevators, and the producers? Everything about Mehretu's work is a well-planned production; it has to be. Most confounding, her work doesn't look planned; the work offers an emotional and spontaneous physical gesture.
Another point of contention, or jealousy, is Mehretu's commercial synergy. Again, she seems to have written her own playbook. She does not make art and sell it in the usual, fraught-making manner. Mehretu sells museum-direct. She is an institutional painter, creating for institutions or mega collectors, who will exhibit her work on their proper grand scale. Julie Mehretu sparkles. She has so many fascinating facets that reflect dazzling light. It makes sense that others may find her troubling. Jealousy makes for the best criticism. Poor Julie. She's getting a cold shoulder, a lump of coal for Christmas. "It is odd," observed an artist pal who was grousing about the lack of reportage on Mehretu and LACMA. "It's like a major new musical opens on Broadway and the NY Times theater critics do not notice." I felt the same way. Why wouldn't Knight write about the show? Could, would he assign it to another writer? When? It was a mystery. Why was this happening to Mehretu? _____________________________ Gordy Grundy is a long time artist and arts writer. His visual and literary work can be found at www.GordyGrundy.com
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