Admirers Bow to Architect at MOCA

A lofty collection of architect superstars, academicians, art collectors and dealers turned up last weekend for a private viewing of the retrospective “Arata Isozaki: Architecture 1960-1990,” which opened to the public Sunday, and tried to get close to the quiet man in the Issey Miyake tuxedo.

Friday evening’s event at the Museum of Contemporary Art, which Isozaki designed, also was billed as a birthday party for the Japan-based architect. Even though his 60th birthday actually falls in July, Isozaki was being feted at so many parties during the course of last week, including a small dinner at the home of MOCA Chairman Fred Nicholas and his wife, Joan, that it was difficult for the birthday boy to keep track.

“I had already five or six. Just a minute--Monday I have two more. Seven,” Isozaki sighed.

Among the celebrants were Berta and Frank Gehry, architect of MOCA’s Temporary Contemporary building, who offered “Iso” the ultimate praise: “I admire his ability to try things--he’s an explorer.”

Also in attendance were Jane and Michael Eisner, the Walt Disney Co. chairman who commissioned Isozaki to design the corporate headquarters of Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., as well as a building in Burbank (“It’s kind of the student union of Disney”), now in planning stages.

“In Japan,” quipped Eisner, offering a champagne toast shown on video screens throughout the museum, reaching 60 is “analogous to being bar mitzvahed in Los Angeles. As I understand, it’s the beginning of one’s new existence.”

According to Isozaki, Eisner was just about right. “This is a time to finish one life and start the next life,” the architect explained. “So I’m just zero years old.”

The assemblage of guests was so astonishing that hardly anyone had a chance to examine the show.

“There’s too much to absorb,” said Los Angeles architect Tim Vreeland. “I couldn’t believe who was here tonight--Robert Venturi, I ran smack into Charlie Gwathmey, then Moshe Safdie and then Richard Meier, one right after another. It’s an incredible triumph for Isozaki.”

Others attending included architects Craig Hodgetts and Ming Fung (who eloped three weeks ago), Arthur Erickson, Frederick Fisher, Steven Ehrlich, Daniel Dworsky, Maris Peika, Bernard Zimmerman and Ronald Altoon, USC architecture dean Robert Harris, UCLA architecture dean Richard Weinstein, UCLA architectural historian Thomas Hines, designers Paul Prejza and Deborah Sussman, museum founders Dominique de Menil and Toshio Hara, L.A. Louver gallery director Peter Goulds, artist Guy Dill and collector Marcia Weisman. All were greeted by MOCA Director Richard Koshalek.

Given the crowd, it wasn’t surprising that the black-tie optional dress code was ignored--resulting in some original interpretations. Most men avoided tuxedos and wore jauntily tied scarves, high-collared tie-less shirts, plain business suits or Japanese designer suits.

Isozaki and his wife, sculptor Aiko Miyawaki, made for the most striking pair--he in his black Miyake, she in hers.