Review: Corporate aspect discredits art work

While traditional museum exhibits display art on white walls in
square-shaped rooms, the “Rewarding Lives” installation
of Annie Leibovitz’s photographs presents art in spherical
spaces to complement the two-dimensional photographs.

The free exhibit at the Pacific Design Center, ongoing until
July 1, displays a wide range of Leibovitz’s celebrity
photography, from a bronzed Arnold Schwarzenegger atop a white
horse to dance legend Mikhail Baryshnikov standing with his legs in
an arabesque on a sleek grand piano.

Unfortunately, the very reason the exhibit even exists is also a
cause for complaint. Since American Express is the sponsor of
“Rewarding Lives,” the celebrities chosen from
Leibovitz’s portfolio are all American Express cardholders.
This fact is shown in the captions accompanying the photographs,
and, for some celebrities, an actual American Express Card (with
the number partially covered) is on display as well.

The first thing the visitor sees while walking into the exhibit
are numerous American Express cards tiled on a clear plastic
wall.

The fact American Express wanted to sponsor an exhibit where
Leibovitz’s magnificent photography is coupled in a
progressive design space is certainly commendable. Yet the
bombardment of the company’s name throughout the exhibit
becomes distracting and gives viewers the impression that the
exhibit is more about American Express than art.

An example of American Express’ subversive advertising is
a horizontal black-and-white photograph of various movie directors
against a studio drop cloth. Listed in the main title are American
Express cardholders Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Martin
Scorsese. Francis Ford Coppola also appears in the picture, but his
name is conspicuously absent from the main title, presumably
because Coppola is not an American Express cardholder.

Even beyond the credit card distractions, the exhibit has its
own strengths and shortcomings. Leibovitz’s photographic
eye captures celebrity as the epitome of Hollywood glamour.
Though some of Leibovitz’s subjects are covered in mud or
paint, or are in a public rest room, the essence of the still frame
conveys a timeless magic.

As for the design, the exhibit is installed on the outdoor
terrace in a glass casing and tent cover, which provides crisp,
natural lighting. On a sunny day, the rays filter through the white
pillow-like sails and highlight both the vibrant colors in the
photographs and the transparent fabric of the tent. At the same
time, photographs facing the sun are subject to a glare from the
glass casing, making it difficult to view the images.

As the recipient of three design awards, “Rewarding
Lives,” as an art and design exhibit, has
been recognized for its aesthetic value. A massive print
of John Cleese from “Monty Python’s Flying
Circus” ““ dressed in a black unitard, hanging
upside-down on a leafy tree branch ““ is glorious all on its
own. But to install the print suspended above an airy, translucent
pod brings a dimension to the photograph that stretches the
imagination beyond white-painted museum walls.

-Rhea Cortado