Light, Space, Surface: Selections from LACMA’s Collection

We’re all kind of obsessed with the lighting in Southern California, but the local progenitors of the 1960s Light and Space movement really love it. (Fun fact: The glossy, slick style that ties these industrial-inspired pieces together is often referred to as “finish fetish.”) LACMA has dug into its collections to pull out all sorts of reflective and refractive works: Fred Eversley’s contorted parabolic lens, Judy Chicago’s smooth pastel domes and Mary Corse’s reflective white grid among them (notably absent from the show: anything from James Turrell). With its heavy use of industrial materials and minimalist designs, this is inevitably the type of contemporary art show that may leave your average museumgoer grumbling—while others will find themselves completely enthralled by the fuzzy aura of Helen Pashgian’s Untitled (Watermelon).