Architect of his own exhibition

As architecture has turned into the glamour puss of the arts, the work of high-profile architects has become a staple among museum exhibitions. And like shows of painting, sculpture and other visual arts, architecture surveys are generally organized by staff curators or independent professionals to present their particular viewpoints. “Frank O. Gehry: Work in Progress,” at L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art in 2003, was MOCA curator Brooke Hodge’s project. “Yoshio Taniguchi: Nine Museums,” recently presented at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in conjunction with the opening of the Japanese architect’s renovation and expansion of the museum, was the creation of MoMA curator Terence Riley.

“On Tour With Renzo Piano & Building Workshop: Selected Projects,” opening March 13 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, is different. Organized not by the museum but by the Genoa, Italy-based Renzo Piano Building Workshop, the exhibition will appear alongside “Transforming LACMA,” a museum-created show on Piano’s plan to expand, upgrade and unify LACMA’s campus.

It might appear that the museum has shirked its curatorial responsibility by scheduling a prepackaged, self-promotional show. But LACMA President and Director Andrea Rich calls booking “On Tour” a practical decision that evolved logically.

“My purpose in having the exhibition is to acquaint Los Angeles with Renzo Piano’s work,” Rich says. “I had originally thought we would organize a show to accomplish that, but when we began to talk to the workshop and went there to get models, blueprints and other materials, we found that they had a really glorious exhibition up already in Genoa. We went to look at it and saw that it was beautifully developed. We thought it would be silly to try to duplicate it.”

However “On Tour” may deviate from normal museum procedure, it’s not the first architecture show to raise eyebrows. “Frank Gehry, Architect,” a 2001 retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, was organized by curators Mildred Friedman and J. Fiona Ragheb, but some critics questioned the ethics of its timing because the museum was trying to raise money to build a Gehry-designed branch in downtown Manhattan. The project was eventually abandoned.

LACMA plans to install “On Tour” in the Ahmanson Building Atrium, modified to resemble the architect’s plans for the space. The show will consist of about 10 tables, each providing an in-depth view of a Piano project. “Transforming LACMA” will occupy the Masterpieces in Focus gallery near the plaza-level entrance of the building. Designed as a sort of progress report on the building program, it is to be updated periodically.

“On Tour” will continue through Oct. 2 and travel to two other museums that have used Piano’s services, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas. “Transforming LACMA” will continue until Piano has completed his work at the museum.