L.A. art scene shines at awards

Los Angeles museums, curators and artists made an exceptionally strong showing this year in the U.S. chapter of the International Assn. of Art Critics’ awards for exhibitions.

“Robert Smithson,” a retrospective organized by L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art and curated by Eugenie Tsai, with Constance Butler, was voted “Best Monographic Museum Show Nationally.” “Thing: New Sculpture from Los Angeles,” organized by the UCLA Hammer Museum and curated by James Elaine, Aimee Chang and Christopher Miles (who does freelance writing for The Times), was named “Best Thematic Museum Show Nationally.”

A retrospective of L.A. artist Tim Hawkinson’s work, co-organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and curated by Lawrence Rinder, captured the award for “Best Monographic Museum Show in New York City.”

“Visual Music,” organized by MOCA and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., and curated by Kerry Brougher, Judith Zilczer, Jeremy Strick and Ari Wiseman was recognized as “Best Exhibition of Time Based Art.”

-- Suzanne Muchnic