Feedback: Readers remember Tina Turner and criticize LACMA

She was simply the best

Regarding Mikael Wood’s appreciation of Tina Turner, “A resilient rock star for the ages” [May 26]: In the ’60s we were fortunate to follow the powerful and soulful singer Tina Turner, accompanied by her husband Ike, performing at clubs like Long Beach’s Cinnamon Cinder. Each performance a spectacular event.

When she performed with her original singing and dancing style to songs like “Proud Mary,” “River Deep — Mountain High” and others, we knew we were privileged to see a superstar. Yet even after leaving an abusive marriage, her singing and stardom skyrocketed.

Tina Turner will always be remembered as simply “the best.”

Isadora Johnson

Seal Beach

LACMA’s modern problems

Christopher Knight confirmed that which he foresaw when the new design for LACMA was revealed, namely the abandonment of LACMA as a “catalog” of art history in exchange for popular shows [“An unexceptional contemporary tilt,” May 21].

The new LACMA will have less floor space and wall space than the old one. Why are we spending millions of dollars on a “new and improved LACMA” that has less space for its permanent collection?

It was clear that we would lose the one and only museum where we could visit permanent exhibits with paintings/sculptures that reflected an art period we loved, as for example the Khmer sculpture or pre-Columbian pieces.

The present director, who is not an art historian, can “speak contemporary art” and entice wealthy art collectors (many of them movie stars) to attend events and support a museum that shows the contemporary artists whose work they collect and thereby augment the value of their collections.

A museum should not change directions like a weather vane but give us the reassurance that some things are timeless and provide us with the history and progression of art.

As Knight mentioned, there is no shortage of exhibitions/spaces for contemporary art. LACMA had a unique position — separate and more than equal to all the other museums in the L.A. area.

I truly mourn the turn that LACMA took, depriving us of the pleasure of visiting “old friends.” The morning I woke up to the news that Robert Kennedy had been shot, I called the office saying that I needed to take the day off and I went to LACMA to be reassured that some things are forever.

Heidi Mueller

Laguna Beach

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I was a docent at LACMA for over 20 years and am still semi-active. Christopher Knight has it all wrong in another of his famous one-sided negative columns about LACMA. And you have it wrong in printing only negative letters [“Feedback: Lamenting ‘new’ LACMA,” May 28].

Michael Govan spoke to about 200 docents at a luncheon last week and gave sort of a rebuttal. He told us of the very ambitious plans for the new LACMA.

Of course, there is a plethora of art in the basements. Too much art for the existing buildings. Choosing what art to exhibit now is a very challenging job.

It’s time to stop using LACMA as a whipping boy for what ails the art world of Los Angeles.

Allegreta Blau

Marina del Rey

An unforgettable talent

Robert Lloyd’s appreciation [“The private side of Mary Tyler Moore,” May 29] took me back to a night in 1983 when I was a guest at the taping of the premiere episode of the series “Mary.” It was a festive occasion, with Mary Tyler Moore introducing her parents and new husband to the audience.

The mood changed when one of the producers, warming up the audience, challenged us to not think about “that other ‘Mary Tyler Moore Show.’”

Needless to say, we failed that challenge.

Marc Antony Melocchi

Studio City