Stanley Kubrick’s camera on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Last week my husband arrived home from a lengthy Taiwan trip just in time for my birthday. We celebrated by playing hooky, eating ice cream along with all three meals, and attending the Stanley Kubrick exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The exhibit was beautifully curated (complete with red-carpeted floors in the gallery room that was devoted to “The Shining”), and my favorite part was getting to glimpse some of Kubrick’s earliest works and influences. It was particularly inspiring to me to see snapshots from his early career as a photojournalist, and to learn about how admittedly embarrassed he was of his first films.
As someone who constantly worries that I’m taking the wrong approach to my writing career, it was nice to see the meandering-yet-passionate path Kubrick took as he honed his craft. Seeing his whole life’s works on display reminded me that creating art worth humanity’s attention involves a lot of missteps and constant readjustments; and, the important thing isn’t necessarily what perfectly calculated steps we’re taking in our careers, but rather the act of taking steps – any steps at all – and doing so with passion while working our asses off. Here are some images from the exhibit – may you find them just the teensiest bit inspiring…
Costumes of the creepy twin girls from “The Shining”
The image of these girls loomed over the room devoted to “The Shining” (where there were also ominous axes in the wall)
You know what they say about all work and no play…
Kubrick wanted every frame of “Barry Lyndon” to look like a classic painting, and these costumes certainly look like they’re straight out of an old Dutch portrait
Ah, how iconic this costume from “A Clockwork Orange” became…
The gallery room for “A Clockwork Orange” was truly trippy, and featured two plaster-and-platinum sculptures like this
The infant from “2001: A Space Odyssey” encased in glass
Script pages proving that – like any good creator – Kubrick edited until something was right
Posters of Kubrick’s works – what a life.
Psst: Are you a fan of Kubrick’s films? If, by chance, you’re an Angeleno like me, have you had the opportunity to see this exhibit at the LACMA? Leave a comment.
So cool! Thanks for giving us East Coasters a chance to see this exhibit! Happy belated birthday!
It really was such a cool exhibit – it’s been more than a week since I went to the museum, and I’m still thinking about it…Wishing you and yours a very happy-super-marvelous holiday, Laine!