Such an honor to curate Robert Therrien: This is a Story @thebroadmuseum . We are now into our final weeks. Wonderful to work with the amazing @roberttherrienestate and @jenvanegasrocha . Thank you to everyone who came and to everyone who wrote about the exhibition.
I hope you'll indulge me, as this is a geeky but important day for me, as it marks ten years of committed walking with my Fitbit. In ten years, I've not gotten 10,000 steps only eight times, all of them memorable. There was the day I met Jasper Johns and was in a car for hours, to and from his studio, unable to walk, only to get stuck in a terrible JFK security line. There was the day I had COVID too bad to get out of bed. There was the same situation in Egypt, so sick I couldn't move for two days in Cairo. The days I opened exhibitions of Shirin Neshat and William Kentridge, I was too happy and tired to even notice my Fitbit. The same applied to having dinner in Tokyo with Takashi Murakami overlooking the Imperial Palace, so drunk with life I forgot to walk. Finally, there was catching boat limits of Yellowtail in Mexico and arriving back in San Diego too tired to fuss about anything. Anyway, you get the point. I don't think 8 misses is too shabby out of 3,650 days. Somebody walks in L.A. I walk in L.A.
Robert Therrien: “This Is a Story”
@thebroadmuseum
Now on view from November 22, 2025 - April 5, 2026.
Bringing together more than 120 works, this expansive retrospective reveals how Therrien’s art quietly but powerfully reshapes the way we see everyday objects.
Whether Therrien is transforming the scale of everyday objects like tables, chairs and stacks of dishes, or creating sublime silhouettes of church steeples, rain clouds and oil cans.
Therrien’s works feel both visually spare and physically commanding — as if the purely visual and the deeply physical are in constant conversation.
In a moment when subject matter often overshadows form, Therrien reminds us that looking closely matters. His attention to structure, surface, and scale turns simple forms into something strangely conceptual and deeply felt, radiating a kind of charismatic presence you can’t quite shake.
For students at L.A.’s many art schools, and for anyone curious about how form, memory, and perception collide, this show is a rare opportunity to slow down, look harder, and experience sculpture and painting in a new way.
- Christopher Knight
@christopher.knight.7@latimes@icallitoranges@thebroadmuseum@roberttherrienestate
#roberttherrien #thebroad #losangelesart
Still aglow from opening an exhibition of one of my favorite artists, Robert Therrien. I knew Bob before he passed away in 2019. He would come by the old Broad Art Foundation in Santa Monica and he invited me to his studio several times over the years. He was a tremendous sculptor, every form echoing into other forms, every artistic entry point revealing many doors of meaning. So much to say. I want to do several posts about the work but this first image says a lot, how a snowman can cast the shadow of a cloud, not to mention further shadows of chapels and arches, how it is all somehow a metaphor for something not quite graspable. I'll remember this exhibition forever. After Bob passed away, a note was found in his house that said, "Tell Ed Schad my favorite movie is Vertigo, from someone who attempts these things in sculpture." How could I ever forget that? An honor to work on this exhibition with @roberttherrienestate , @paulcherwick , and @thecrittercave . More to come.
Celebrating 8 wonderful years with @supersmil , the love of my life and ride or die adventure seeking travel partner. We went to the incredible Sedona, where we hiked, off-roaded, and drank great. A local wine store actually had @murgowinery wines, the wine we drank in Sicily on our honeymoon. A special trip. We'll be back to Sedona for sure. Love you, Heather ❤️
Quick work trip to St. Louis to see the magical, massive Anselm Kiefer exhibition at @stlartmuseum . However, the city is full of treasure. Art, food, art deco overload. The last photos are of the insane @citymuseum . Impossible to describe. Check it out.
And we're back. Vancouver to Kelowna to Revelstoke to Banff to Calgary. Now if I can just keep these mountains and these wonderful rivers in my soul awhile in my hot and increasingly tough city of Los Angeles.
On my way to Vancouver for vacation, but had the pleasant surprise of seeing my @takashipom trading card pulled @clevelandmuseumofart . Thank you @heidistrean for the picture and the pull.
