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Tickets Now Available for Two Upcoming Talks in The Broad’s Un-Private Collection Series—Takashi Murakami and Pico Iyer at the Orpheum Theatre on May 29, and Eric Fischl and Steve Martin at The Broad Stage on June 23

From left: Takashi Murakami, Pico Iyer, Eric Fischl and Steve Martin. Murakami photo by Chika Okazumi; artwork © Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
LOS ANGELES, April 24, 2014—The Broad announced today that tickets for the next two talks in the popular Un-Private Collection series are now on sale to the general public. On May 29 at 8 p.m., renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami will be joined by bestselling author and Japan scholar Pico Iyer for a conversation at the Orpheum Theatre. On June 23 at 8 p.m., painter and sculptor Eric Fischl and author, actor, musician and collector Steve Martin will be in conversation at The Broad Stage.

The Broad launched The Un-Private Collection talk series in September 2013 to present public conversations with cultural leaders and influential contemporary artists in the Broad collections in the months leading up to the museum’s 2015 opening. Collectors Eli and Edythe Broad have assembled substantial representations of work by both Murakami and Fischl, some of which will be on view to the public when The Broad opens in 2015.

These two upcoming talks in The Un-Private Collection series come on the heels of an extraordinarily popular response to the February talk featuring artist Jeff Koons with cult filmmaker John Waters, which drew 1,900 people to the Orpheum Theatre, plus more than 8,000 viewers to the online video. With such turnouts, the series exceeds typical attendance of any other museum lecture series.

“We’ve been really gratified by the public response to The Un-Private Collection series,” said Joanne Heyler, founding director of The Broad, “and the next two talks promise to continue this momentum. Murakami, whose work we’ve collected for over a decade, and writer Iyer share mutual interests in the cross-pollination of pop culture and ancient traditions, including Buddhism. Fischl was one of the first artists collected by The Broad Art Foundation in the 1980s, and his conversation with his longtime friend Steve Martin promises a witty and insightful dialogue about making art and being an artist today. The Un-Private Collection series’ pairings of visual artists with creative visionaries from other fields is designed to awaken a sense of discovery about leading artists working today, often with an element of humor and surprise.”

On May 29 at 8 p.m., internationally prolific contemporary Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, who is represented by 11 works in the Broad collections, will be in conversation with author and longtime resident of Japan Pico Iyer. Murakami is known for his bold, graphic works that merge fine art, design and animation and continue to blur the lines between high art and pop culture. His wide appeal and star power often mask his deeply intelligent take on Japanese culture and knowledge which emerges from extensive training in classical painting and his doctorate in Japanese art. The author of numerous books on crossing cultures and a regular contributor to Time, Harper’s, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, and many other publications, Iyer’s writings intersect with Murakami’s work in their focus on the common disconnect between local tradition and imported global pop culture. The pair will discuss the complex social and historical narratives woven into Murakami’s work and how they reflect upon contemporary Japanese culture. Tickets are $12. The talk will be held at the Orpheum Theatre, 842 Broadway, downtown Los Angeles.

On May 30, the night after the talk, art gallery Blum & Poe presents Murakami’s recent film Jellyfish Eyes at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Murakami’s feature filmmaking debut transforms the life of a new kid on the block into an epic adventure in this coming-of-age fantasy. General admission tickets are $15. A special VIP ticket is available for $250 and includes the conversation on May 29, the screening and private VIP cocktail reception on May 30, and a limited edition print by Murakami. General admission and VIP tickets go on sale in May. Additional information for the screening is available at www.jellyfisheyesthemovie.com.

On June 23 at 8 p.m., painter and sculptor Eric Fischl will be joined onstage by comedian, actor, author, musician, art collector and Fischl’s longtime friend, Steve Martin. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Fischl helped reinvigorate the traditional medium of painting with contemporary relevance. He became known for his psychologically intense paintings, where extraordinary dreamlike scenes take place in suburban settings. Unflinchingly focused on the subject of human relationships, Fischl’s work depicts moments when something potentially disastrous or taboo is on the verge of happening. A collector of Fischl’s work, Martin began collecting art in 1968. Contrary to his comedic reputation, which spans from high-brow intellectualism to low-brow slapstick, Martin’s collection now includes many intense and emotionally charged works by Cindy Sherman, Pablo Picasso, Lucian Freud, Edward Hopper, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline and more. The pair will discuss Fischl’s memoir, Bad Boy, his early career in Southern California, and the inspiration behind his painting and sculpture. Tickets are $15. The talk will be held at The Broad Stage, 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica. –more–
Tickets for both of these programs are available now at www.thebroad.org/programs.

Upcoming programs in The Un-Private Collection series also include artist John Currin in conversation with president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust James Cuno on September 14 at The Getty Museum in Brentwood, and artist Kara Walker in conversation with film director Ava DuVernay at the Writers Guild in Beverly Hills on October 11. Tickets for these programs will be announced at a later date.

For complete program details and to stay up-to-date with ticketing information, please visit www.thebroad.org and sign up for The Broad’s email list.

About The Broad
The Broad is a new contemporary art museum being built by philanthropists Eli and
Edythe Broad on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. The museum, which is designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, will open in 2015. The museum will be home to the nearly 2,000 works of art in The Broad Art Foundation and the Broads’ personal collections, which are among the most prominent holdings of postwar and contemporary art worldwide. With its innovative “veil-and-vault” concept, the 120,000-square-foot, $140-million building will feature two floors of gallery space to showcase The Broad’s comprehensive collections and will be the headquarters of The Broad Art Foundation’s worldwide lending library.

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