WHAT: “Naked Hollywood: Weegee in Los Angeles”
WHEN: Through February 27, Monday & Friday 11AM-5PM, Thursday 11AM-8PM, Saturday & Sunday 11AM-6PM
WHERE: MOCA Grand Avenue, 250 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles
WHY THIS SHOW MATTERS: New York tabloid photographer Weegee relocated to Los Angeles in 1947, beginning a period in his career that spawned some of the most raw and humorous images of Hollywood’s golden age. His lens captured a twisted panorama of silver screen darlings and Sunset Strip entertainers, sequined costumes and flashy cars.
Weegee’s knack for creating compositions that are part Cartier-Bresson’s “Decisive Moment” and part DIY dark room antics make for a Hollywood that appears distorted and fantastical. His wild portrait of Marilyn Monroe is like Francis Bacon translated into film, her face twisted and bent into something monstrous because of his experimental camera tricks. In a tattered black-and-white print, the paparazzi cameras point towards an actress at the microphone — but Weegee’s own is directed at their sea flashing bulbs. In another sepia-toned photograph, a beglittered and barely clothed performer sips a glass of water backstage, her invincible and otherworldly persona shattered by the human act. As the men in the background look away, Weegee’s camera is focused right on this disarmingly candid moment.
“Naked Hollywood” features over 200 photographs, some with crop-marks, printer notes, and captions included, giving us a glimpse at the photographer's creative process and vision for documenting Los Angeles as “Weegee The Famous.”
To see a selection from "Naked Hollywood: Weegee in Los Angeles" click here or on the slide show button above.