LA Fridays with Bob and Tom: Long Beach Museum of Art - Tristan Eaton

LA Fridays with Bob and Tom

 Week 134. Long Beach Museum of Art - Tristan Eaton


This week we took a leisurely drive to Long Beach to check out the fabulous, TRISTAN EATON: ALL AT ONCE, exhibit at the Long Beach Museum of Art.  Eaton’s solo museum exhibition representing two and a half decades of work transitions between guerrilla street art, iconic mural work, cutting-edge design, and fine art.  Eaton began pursuing art as a teenager, designing at the age of 18 his first toy for Fisher-Price.  After graduating from the School of Visual Arts in New York, Eaton co-founded the legendary Kidrobot where he solidified his place as one of the creators of the designer toy movement.

Shortly thereafter, Eaton established Thunderdog Studios, TrustoCorp where he created original art and design work for Nike, Universal, and Hublot among others.  TrustoCorp, Eaton’s alter ego and former guerrilla street art collective, includes a selection of the many illicit works created under an alias between 2008 and 2013.  Eaton’s clandestine approach to public art hoaxing aims to highlight the hypocrisy and hilarity of human behavior through sarcasm and satire.  As one of the most prominent international muralists working today, Eaton executes each large-scale work in freehand spray paint.

The exhibit includes selected works including Eaton’s LEGACY series and collaborations with Marvel Studios; SPACEX Human Kind launched aboard SpaceX shuttle Crew Dragon; UPRISE A visual history of protest and resistance; TRUSTOCORP Clandestine guerrilla street art collective; UNFAIR FUNFAIR Satirical spray paint installation with interactive games; and a visual archive of Eaton’s murals made around the world.  My favorite was a 3D Art installation where 3D glasses are provided for maximum visual enjoyment.

Be sure to call ahead and book lunch outdoors at the Museum to fully enjoy the ocean view.  Free parking is available.

 

ROBERT BLAUNSTEIN, PhD BIO

Robert (Bob) is a PhD physicist whose career has spanned academia, government and private industry. As a faculty member of the Department of Physics at the University of Tennessee, a Branch Chief at the United States Department of Energy and Vice President of an American International Group Company, his scientific endeavors include radiation physics, environmental research, environmental insurance and nanotechnology.

Originally from the East Coast, Bob was seduced by his sons and their families (and the California weather) to leave Washington, DC after retiring in 2010. While recovering from culture shock, Bob found many outlets to reconcile his eclectic interests. As a member of Senior Scholars for over six years he continues to take courses in a myriad of subjects ranging from film to art history to brain science and finds great intellectual and social rewards in Senior Scholars and the Plato Society.

As a latent artist, he sketches scenes about town once a week with an artist friend from his college days and is attempting to learn to play the electric guitar.

On moving to Los Angeles, he found Tom Jacobson, another recent transplant. They became great friends and decided to explore their new town together leading to over 113 sites in our city. Dubbed “LA Fridays with Bob and Tom” they are happy to share their experiences with others.

Bob lives in Brentwood with Phyllis, his wife of 56 years, an education policy executive. They have two sons and four grandchildren, one of whom plays a guitar a lot better than Bob.

 

THOMAS JACOBSON BIO

Thomas (Tom) is an attorney who practiced trial and constitutional law in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Born in 1938 in Bamberg Germany, he was one of the youngest passengers on the ill-fated voyage of the Damned, the SS St. Louis, turned away from Cuba in 1939.

Tom represented local civil rights activists and Dick Gregory and twice argued cases successfully in the United States Supreme Court. In 1970 he was the Democratic candidate for Wisconsin Attorney General.

Retiring in 2008, he and wife, Peggy, moved to California to join their two sons and four grandchildren, and enjoy the warm weather.

Tom has kept busy as a member of Senior Scholars and Plato for the last six years keeping his brain stimulated and active. Yoga and swimming have kept his body in shape.