Southern California

Robert Russell and Lisa Edelstein: A Palace in Time invites visitors to reflect on how they spend their time–in the moments when they are celebrating, grieving, and all the small moments in between. Drawing inspiration from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s description of the Sabbath as “a palace in time,” this exhibition brings together new paintings by Los Angeles-based artists and married partners Russell and Edelstein that hold up moments and memories of joy and loss–ever-present in Jewish family traditions and community gatherings.

Presenting hundreds of original objects, including posters, portraits, photographs, production documents, letters, and rarely seen personal materials—many of which will be on display for the first time—the exhibition will give unique insight into her agency in becoming a Hollywood icon. The exhibition will also feature an extensive display of Monroe’s screen-worn costumes, ranging from a dress featured in Love Happy (1949) to items from her final and unfinished film, Something’s Got to Give (1962). Major highlights include two costumes by Orry-Kelly from Some Like it Hot (1959), as well as the rarely exhibited famous pink dress by William Travilla from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953).

Forty-five curators working across areas of study collaborated on the initial installation of the Geffen Galleries. The building is designed to hold approximately 2,500 to 3,000 objects from the museum’s global collection at one time, filling 110,000 square feet of gallery space. Rather than displaying artworks according to medium or period, the inaugural installation uses the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea as its organizing framework, emphasizing the cultural exchange, migration, and commerce prevalent throughout the history of art.