MOCA's disco show is a bridge too far for John Baldessari

John Baldessari has stepped down from the board of the LA's Museum of Contemporary Art. He said his reasons include the recent ousting of Chief Curator Paul Schimmel and news that the pop-cultural slant the museum had taken under director Jeffrey Deitch will continue with an exhibition on disco music's influence on art and culture.

Baldessari is the fifth board member to resign since February - another sign that all is not well at MOCA. Last week four of the museum's life trustees called for a U-turn back to the kind of exhibitions it was famous for before the arrival of Deitch two years ago. They also disagreed with a recent column by Eli Broad, a MOCA life trustee and the museum's biggest supporter, who wrote in support of its direction under Deitch. "The celebrity-driven program...that Deitch promotes is not the answer," the letter said. Read more...
Image: John Baldessari

John Baldessari: the first $100,000 I ever made

A new billboard by John Baldessari features the $100,000 bill that didn't make it into circulation. Forty-two thousand of these bills were printed during the Great Depression and Baldessari has re-issued it as the US economy faces the spectre of another deep global downturn. Titled The First $100,000 I ever made, the piece will be on display at New York's High Line until 30 December.

Frieze reviews

Reviews of Frieze 09 are published here and here.

Image: John Baldessari, Beethoven's Trumpet (with Ear) OPus #133. Photograph Nils Jorgensen/Rex Features

John Baldessari in conversation with Matthew Higgs

The subject of a major retrospective at the Tate Modern, London, John Baldessari answered questions put to him by Matthew Higgs at the recent Frieze art fair. You can access the Frieze podcast here.

Images: John Baldessari in conversation with Matthew Higgs at Frieze