Los Angeles
Paul McCarthy: Head Space, Drawings 1963-2019
Through May 10
Hammer Museum
Few artists are as outré as Paul McCarthy. Famed for his larger-than-life sculptures that blur the line between reality and fantasy, McCarthy often surprises and disturbs viewers with sexualized portrayals of American pop-culture ranging from Disneyland characters to comic book icons. While the Los Angeles–based artist has exhibited films, photography, sculptures, and installations around the world for the past five decades, Paul McCarthy: Head Space, Drawings 1963-2019 is the first American exhibition to examine, in depth, the contemporary artist’s drawing practice. This Westwood show presents nearly 600 of McCarthy’s works on paper, in charcoal, marker, ink, and graphite. Reimagining the Hollywood symbols, soap-opera scenes, and fairytales we hold dear, McCarthy brings into play a variety of materials like ketchup and peanut butter to construct a cacophony of scribbles. These controversial social critiques explore themes such as toxic masculinity, consumerism, and violence, infused with all the candor and vulgarity viewers have come to expect and, in many ways, appreciate, from McCarthy.
Around Town L.A.
Other Exhibitions of Note This Season
Paolo Ventura: An Invented World
Through March 14
Galerie XII
New Images of Man
Through March 14
Blum & Poe
Hamilton
March 12–March 29
Hollywood Pantages Theatre
The Hilton Als Series: Lynette Yiadom-Boakye
Through May 11
Huntington Art Gallery
Rina Banerjee: Make me a Summary of the World
Through May 31
The Fowler Museum at UCLA
Vanity Fair: Hollywood Calling
Through July 26
Annenberg Space for Photography
