It was inevitable, I suppose, that paparazzi would have a moment in the sun. That moment--actually months longer than that--is at MOCA Grand Avenue as part of the city-wide Pacific Standard Time exhibitions. Gallery after gallery is filled with Weegee's L.A. photos and photos of him, Mr. King of Self Promotion. Movie stars and adoring fans were the primary targets for his lens--nothing new about that, even back in the late 1940s.
He began to manipulate some of the movie star photos, distorting the faces of Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and others. This darkroom development effort seems to be the basis for Weegee's claim in the art world. That, plus the book of New York crime scenes he published, entitled Naked City.
In my opinion, it would have been so much better to give over the space at MOCA to the photography of Max Yavno who was photographing L.A. at the same time--with brilliantly original results.
To get to MOCA on Grand Avenue take the Red Line to the Civic Center Station and walk the 3 blocks to the museum. After you have skimmed through the Weegee show, take a downtown public art tour with MOCA as your starting point. Just head south along the walkway behind the museum. If you want to see the Weegee show, keep in mind that it ends on Feb. 27, 2012. Not a moment too soon.
