Peruse famous nudes at Renoir in the 20th Century at LACMA

By: Deena Nissley

The most important show of 2010 (so far) opened this week — Renoir in the 20th Century. Take a date.

LACMA’s choice retrospective of the French impressionist focuses on the artist’s later years, when he moved towards modernism, influencing Picasso and Matisse.

It’s a brisk, well-edited selection of soft, sophisticated paintings and sculptures. You can do the whole loop in under an hour before dinner.

Paintings of nudes in soft focus make up the bulk, along with radiantly colored Mediterranean scenes. Pull up a chair in the small theater midway through to watch a revelatory film of the artist at work, alongside surprisingly crisp black and white photos. Skip the side gallery of surviving sketches and studies if you’ve had enough.

Don’t miss the painter’s masterpiece, “The Bathers.” The culmination of a lifetime of techniques, it hangs alone in the final chamber.

Renoir in the 20th Century
Through May 9.
LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd. (323) 857-6010
lacma.com

Hours: Mon, Tue & Thu 12-8p, Fri 12-9p, Sat-Sun 11a-8p. Closed Wednesdays.
Price: $20 here
Parking: Museum lot on 6th St. just east of Fairfax
Nearby: Village Idiot; Terroni; Little Bar
Painting we loved: Naked ladies frolic with shellfish in the third room’s “Bathers Playing with a Crab.”

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