Dear Readers,

The biggest art news in Los Angeles today is the arrival of MOCA’s new director, Philippe Vergne, whom staff writer Ezrha Jean Black interviews for this issue. Although Artillery instantly voiced skepticism when his predecessor came on board a few years ago, this time around we’re going to wait a little before we start moaning.

That isn’t to say Artillery is becoming a shrinking violet. No, no, no. It’s just that there really isn’t that much to say now. Bringing on Vergne is a much safer bet, so there’s really no controversy at the moment.

Does that mean we miss Jeffrey Deitch as our MOCA director? No. Do we miss him for providing tons of fun in our gossip column and tons of fodder for this editor’s letter? Yes.

I never got my interview with Deitch, and that’s a bit disappointing. He suggested from the beginning that perhaps I should wait; he had said it all already. Wouldn’t Artillery prefer to have fresh material on down the line? Sure Jeffrey. But when I came back around knockin’ on that door for some unspoiled Deitch dialogue, it was too late. Too much damage had been done, and by then he wasn’t talking.

Now that we don’t have Deitch around anymore, there’s something a little sad about the whole matter. MOCA just had to have Deitch. They seemed impressed with their outlandish solution to select a gallery dealer for a museum director (or so it seemed). They were pushing the envelope for sure, and many people bought it, or at least wanted to buy it. And why wouldn’t they? MOCA was sticking to their guns, by Broad, er I mean, by God.

I think what I will miss most about Deitch is his nonconformity. He crossed boundaries; his intrigue with Hollywood, the celebrity solo shows at the museum! It’s practically laughable now, when you think back on the shenanigans surrounding his first show with Julian Schnabel curating the Dennis Hopper exhibit. I can
almost hear Deitch thinking to himself when MOCA offered him the
position: “Well, ya know, I’ve never been a museum director before, that might be kind of fun.” Precisely why he shouldn’t be working at any institution. Too many rules, too many board members, too many pockets to fill.

MOCA took a big risk hiring Deitch, and in the end it became a circus. I’m sorry I won’t ever get to see Deitch’s long-planned Disco art show. But alas, this ain’t no disco. And MOCA got tired of foolin’ around.

We now have Philippe Vergne and that’s a comforting feeling, especially after what we’ve just been through. We get a sense of what he’s thinking about being in LA in this interview.

The second biggest thing in the LA art world is also happening at MOCA; the Mike Kelley retrospective at the Geffen. For this occasion, I took the opportunity to listen once again to the deep gravelly voice of Mike Kelley. I put some of those poignant words in these pages, ones that didn’t make it into print the first time around.

Vergne is an avid fan of Kelley’s, and it is an honor, in his own words, to begin his MOCA career with the Kelley retrospective. Philippe Vergne, it appears, will have much to say. And frankly, that sounds like a good thing.