Union Center for the Arts
120 Judge John Aiso Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

The exhibition explores the ways in which photography and celebrity have interacted and changed, with portraits from the magazine’s early period (1913–1936) displayed in conjunction with works from the contemporary Vanity Fair (1983–present). The Los Angeles presentation will be the only U.S. stop on the exhibition’s international tour.

In 1913, Vanity Fair launched with the birth of modernism, the dawning of the Jazz Age, and the groundbreaking Armory Show that introduced avantgarde art to the American public. Publisher Condé Nast (1873–1942) partnered with editor Frank Crowninshield (1872–1947) to create a magazine that would engage with modern culture and innovation in the arts. Vanity Fair portraits by Edward Steichen, Cecil Beaton, Baron De Meyer, Man Ray, George Hurrell and later Annie Leibovitz, Helmut Newton, Nan Goldin, Herb Ritts, Harry Benson, Mario Testino, and Bruce Weber capture cultural and celebrity icons such as  Gloria Swanson, Louise Brooks, Anna May Wong, and Paul Robeson, Louis Armstrong, Josephine Baker, Noёl Coward, Pablo Picasso, Albert Einstein, Jesse Owens, James Joyce, Katharine Hepburn, and Fred and Adele Astaire during Vanity Fair's vintage age. More recent portraits include those of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kate Winslet, Lance Armstrong, George Clooney, a disrobed and pregnant Demi Moore (1991), a formal portrait of President Bush’s Afghan- War Cabinet (2002), and most recently actresses Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley posing naked with designer Tom Ford (2006).

After LACMA’s presentation, the exhibition will complete its tour at the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, Australia (June 12–August 30, 2009).

Considered one of America's best comedians, George Lopez draws a lot of his material from a childhood spent in financial poverty. He was born in San Fernando Valley outside of Los Angeles, California and lived with his grandmother. Lopez’s grandmother is satirized in many of his jokes along with the rest of the Latino community. 

George Lopez’s poignant one-liners about growing up Latino and poor have really showcased his unique brand of observational humor. Some of his accolades include a 2004 Grammy nomination for his album Team Leader, a special guest appearance on the “Latin Kings of Comedy” and hosting the Latin Grammy Awards twice.

In August 2005, Time Magazine recognized George as one of "The 25 Most Influential Hispanics In America." His own charity, The George & Ann Lopez-Richie Alarcon CARE Foundation, provides significant community and arts resources for education. 

Lopez is an avid golfer who currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and family.

The School of Night
By Peter Whelan
Center Theatre Group
Directed by Bill Alexander

Modern conspiracy theories may surround the assassination of John F Kennedy, but in the late 16 th century it was the murder of Christopher Marlowe that had England buzzing. In this gripping mystery thriller William Shakespeare, Thomas Kyd, Sir Walter Raleigh and nearly everyone else are suspects and everyone has a hidden agenda.