California was incredibly lovely. 90 + degree days, blue skies, sunshine, swimming pools and working on my tan. Kort, me and my parents went to the LACMA on Sunday and saw 2 special shows- art from the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, and a special show of Modigliani and his Montparnasse contemporaries. It is always interesting to me what museums organize as their "blockbuster" shows - i.e. shows geared towards the general masses, and what do the general masses like? Impressionist and European painting! Nothing wrong with that, by any means. My first introduction to the visual arts was by way of Picasso, my mother's major influence in her painting practice. And the Europeans could really paint. Still, these days I tend to favor contemporary, minimalist, and conceptual work. Though the contemporary collection at the LACMA disappointed on this visit. Saw a Wallace Berman collage and a John Baldessari photo. Also went to a special exhibition of Asian art downstairs in the Museum - sutra books from Korea (beautiful!).