Chris Burden Retrospective at U. of Washington Canceled

A retrospective of Los Angeles artist Chris Burden’s work was scheduled to inaugurate the University of Washington’s new Henry Art Gallery this spring, but the show has been canceled. It would have been his first retrospective since a 1988 show at the Newport Harbor Art Museum and a rare in-depth look at an artist better known in Europe than at home.

The change of plans was “a mutual decision of the artist, the museum and the curator, Chris Bruce, due to a lack of confirmation of critical loans,” said Gary Tucker, the gallery’s public information coordinator. “We hope this is only a postponement,” he said, but no later date has been set.

The new gallery will open April 13 with three attractions: “Unpacking the Collection: 70 Years of Collecting at the Henry,” “Between Lantern and Laser: A Brief History of Video Projection” and--substituting for Burden--”Inside,” consisting of about 10 installations by an international group of contemporary artists.

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MOVING TO BERGAMOT: The Santa Monica Museum of Art is temporarily closed during the holiday season to prepare for its move next spring to Bergamot Station, an arts complex at Olympic and Cloverfield boulevards.

The museum will reopen on Jan. 10 at its present location, 2437 Main St., with “Unveiling the Future.” The exhibition will feature architectural drawings and a scale model of the new 9,600-square-foot space at Bergamot, designed by the Los Angeles firm Narduli/Grinstein.

The date of the Bergamot opening has yet to be announced, but the inaugural show will be “On the House,” featuring commissioned installations by Los Angeles artists Carl Cheng, Michael McMillen and Alison Saar. The museum also plans to present a work by Luciano Perna as part of its Projects Series.