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THE OC///OPENING NITE: THE DEBUT OF THE LAGUNA MUSEUM’S “JUXTAPOZ SHOW”…

June 23rd, 2008

Art collectors Lance Armstrong & Kate Hudson get a closer look at Todd Schorr’s new masterpiece…

As the editor of JUXTAPOZ ART MAGAZINE from 1996—2006, I had a personal stake in scoping out the LAGUNA MUSEUM’s “Juxtapoz” retrospective group show “In the Land of Retinal Delights” last nite. Celebrating the so-called “Juxtapoz Factor” in the modern art world, the exhibition chronicled the magazine’s golden age, the years when the underground art world literally exploded into public consciousness and began to permeate the fabric of everyday life in the form of ubiquitous art shows, innovative merchandise, and corporate marketing and advertising campaigns. Assembling a roster of over 150 artists including such luminaries as MARK RYDEN, OS GEMEOS, PHIL FROST, ERIC WHITE, TODD & KATHY SCHORR, GLENN BARR, CHAZ BOJORQUEZ, XNO, MARGARET KILGALLEN, R. CRUMB, RICK GRIFFIN, RON ENGLISH, BASIL WOLVERTON, SHEPARD FAIREY, TAKASHI MURAKAMI, CRAIG STECYK, and BARRY McGEE, among others, it was truly a joy to witness such an incredible array of artworks by pioneering visionaries of so many disparate genres finally assembled for a formal show in a major cultural institution. Of course, this is something LACMA, SF MoMA, Yerba Buena SF, or MoCA LA should have done years ago, but the zeitgeist of our times often escapes the blurry vision of the establishment. Barring a few questionable curatorial choices, works that were less than masterpieces, and Juxtapoz founder ROBERT WILLIAMS‘ notable absence (read: boycott) despite having the exhibition’s title borrowed from one of his seminal paintings, it was a much-needed walk down memory lane in an era dominated by “street art” and other soulless anti-technique genres. Making its official public debut was a 10′ x 12′ masterpiece by elder statesman TODD SCHORR (more on that on ST in upcoming weeks) who proved that while the world of cartoon surrealism that we’ve all known and loved may have gone back underground, it isn’t lacking for talent or innovation. On hand to take in the scene was the genre’s most astute collector, Nike’s MARK PARKER, along with fellow art collector/Supertouch buddy LANCE ARMSTRONG and actress KATE HUDSON, who’s slated to portray underground art legend MARGARET KEANE in an upcoming biopic. HAVE A LOOK: