Broad announces Murakami, Martin for Un-Private Collection series

The opening of the Broad museum in downtown Los Angeles may have been pushed back to 2015, but its art-focused lecture series, “The Un-Private Collection,” is proceeding full steam ahead.

The series, which pairs contemporary artists from the museum’s collection with scholars, novelists, filmmakers, musicians and other artists, launched in September with founders Eli and Edythe Broad onstage, talking about their early days of collecting and about their new museum.

On Monday the series will stage its biggest evening yet, a conversation between the artist Jeff Koons and filmmaker-actor-artist John Waters at the Orpheum Theatre in L.A., with almost 2,000 people expected to attend.

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“Over the years, Edye and I have enjoyed getting to know the artists and speaking with them about their work,” Eli Broad said in a statement. “Those conversations have broadened our world view, and it’s one of the reasons we collect contemporary art. We hope that by showcasing public conversations with these artists, future museum patrons will gain a similar curiosity and a deeper understanding when they see the art at the Broad.”

The Un-Private Collection announced plans for four more events in 2014. In late May, Takashi Murakami will appear in conversation with Pico Iyer about, among other things, ancient and modern culture in Japan. The event’s location was not announced.

On June 23, Steve Martin and the artist Eric Fischl are likely to discuss their friendship, comedy and the American psyche, says Joanne Heyler, founding director of the Broad. That event is scheduled for the Broad Stage in Santa Monica.

On Oct. 11, the artist Kara Walker is set to be in conversation with filmmaker Ava DuVernay at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills about how issues relevant to African American women appear in their work.

The artist John Currin is scheduled to speak with the Getty Trust’s Jim Cuno on Sept. 14 at the Getty Museum about the relationship between his work and classical painting as well as his works in the Broad collection.

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Twitter: @debvankin