SoCal museum listings, Feb. 10-17: ‘Allen Ruppersberg: Intellectual Property’ at the Hammer and more

Reviews by Leah Ollman (L.O.).

Openings

Allen Ruppersberg: Intellectual Property 1968-2018 Major retrospective of the Cleveland-born Conceptual artist’s work includes photographs, assemblages, drawings, collages, immersive installations, etc. UCLA Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. Starts Sun.; ends May 12. Closed Mon. Free. (310) 443-7000.

Crumbling Empire: The Tom and Jeri Ferris Russian Collection of Glasnost and Perestroika Paintings Russian poster designs from the 1980s-90s paired with street art by contemporary American artist Shepard Fairey. Also on display: “Upside-Down Propaganda: The Art of North Korean Defector Sun Mu” and “Red Alert! Air Raid Sirens of Los Angeles: Art Installation by Nicole Weingart.” The Wende Museum, 10808 Culver Blvd., Culver City. Starts Sun.; ends June 2. Free. (310) 216-1600.

Maryam Jafri: I Drank the Kool-Aid But I Didn’t Inhale First-ever U.S. solo exhibition of works by the conceptual artist features a new staging of Jafri’s “Product Recall: An Index of Innovation (2014–15),” combining framed text and photography spotlighting failed food products (starts Sun.; ends June 23). Also on display: “Lucas Blalock: An Enormous Oar,” featuring manipulated photographs of everyday items (starts Sun.; ends July 21). The Institute of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, 1717 E. 7th St., L.A. Closed Mon.-Tue. Free. (213) 928-0833.

Glenn Ligon: Selections From the Marciano Collection Text-based paintings, a light installation, etc., by the Conceptual artist. Also on display: “California Artists in the Marciano Collection.” Marciano Art Foundation, 4357 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Starts Tue.; ends May 5. Closed Sun.-Tue. Free; advance reservations required. (424) 204-7555.

Charles White: A Retrospective Paintings, drawings, prints and photographs by the African American artist and activist. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Opens next Sun.; ends June 9. Closed Wed. $10-$25; 17 and under, free. (323) 857-6010. Also, “Life Model: Charles White and His Students,” a companion exhibit at LACMA’s satellite gallery features work by White and various artists he influenced. Charles White Elementary School Gallery, 2401 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Starts Sat.; ends Sept. 15. Open Saturdays only, 1 to 4 p.m. Free. (323) 857-6010.

Inheritance: Recent Video Art from Africa Video works by contemporary African artists exploring political, social, and environmental issues. Fowler Museum, UCLA, 308 Charles E. Young Drive North, Westwood. Starts next Sun.; ends July 28. Closed Mon.-Tue. Free. (310) 825-4361.

Critics’ Choices

Robert Pruitt: Devotion Pruitt’s first solo L.A. museum show features a dozen of his spellbinding charcoal, conte and pastel drawings, a selection of his sculptures, and works by a handful of others who have influenced him. Self-possession radiates from the subject of each portrait, drawn to be palpably human but endowed with the monumentality of deities. Pruitt’s devotion extends to his mentors but also to these ordinary gods in our midst. (L.O.) California African American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, L.A. Now through Feb. 17. Closed Mon. Free. (213) 744-7432.