A ‘90s Steve Martin Comedy Inspired a Modern Art Exhibition

Steve Martin is a man of many talents — he’s an actor, a comedian, a writer and the best the banjo player in the world the only banjo player we’re currently aware of. He’s also an expert on fine art, so much so that he once gave a Q&A on the subject at the 92nd Street Y, to the confusion and anger of comedy fans who were apparently expecting something less “boring.”

Now the famed art collector has himself inspired a new art show, themed around one of Martin’s ‘90s comedies. No, not Sgt. Bilko. 

There’s currently an exhibit at Hauser & Wirth’s West Hollywood location simply called “L.A. Story,” based on the 1991 comedy of the same name. L.A. Story, which Martin also wrote, tells the story of an Angeleno TV weatherman named Harris K. Telemacher who falls in love with an English journalist, played by Victoria Tennant. Along the way, he’s guided by a mysterious force that communicates via cryptic messages on a highway traffic sign. Thankfully, it doesn’t insist that he construct a single baseball diamond.

According to the gallery, the exhibition, which opened on September 12th, “suggests a loosely cinematic narrative echoing that of the film,” because the artists’ work and the movie share “a mutual embrace of special affection for the surreal charms of Los Angeles.” 

Some of the “surreal charms” of L.A. Story verge on Naked Gun-levels of absurdity, such as the gag involving parallel ATM lineups: one for customers taking out money, one for armed muggers.

Some of the curated works are loosely connected to the movie’s themes, while others are directly paying homage to Martin. One piece is just a blown-up image of one of Martin’s Instagram posts from earlier this year, featuring a still from L.A. Story, which Martin took a photo of and shared online, in another Instagram post that will no doubt be printed out and used in an art show some time in the future.

Martin seems pleased with the exhibit, which, coincidentally, is housed in a gallery opposite the iconic nightclub where he first kicked off his comedy career. “I’m thrilled that L.A. Story is the focus of so many wonderful artists and a wonderful gallery, Hauser & Wirth,” Martin said in a statement, “which is just across the street from the Troubadour, where I first stepped foot on Santa Monica Blvd., which began my L.A. sojourn.”

It is a tad surprising that any art gallery is celebrating L.A. Story, though, considering that it’s one of the few movies that depicts unbridled art gallery rule-breaking. For some reason, Harris’ hobby is to roller skate through the Los Angeles County Museum of Art while a friend records him on a video camera. 

So far nobody seems to have tried this at the “L.A. Story” exhibit.

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