The Hammer Museum at UCLA’s exhibition “Joan Didion: What She Means” offers visitors a unique portrait of the acclaimed author, thinker and pioneer of the New Journalism genre.
Through a series of mediums such as painting, ephemera, photography, sculpture and video, some 50 artists including Vija Celmins, Silke Otto-Knapp and Betye Saar help narrate and create a temporal and spatial chronology of Didion’s life. More than 200 works are on display, including footage from a number of films for which Didion wrote the screenplay.
First planned in 2019 with Didion’s blessing, the exhibit was organized by critically acclaimed writer, curator and New Yorker contributor Hilton Als in collaboration with Hammer chief curator Connie Butler and curatorial assistant Ikechukwu Onyewuenyi. Didion passed away last year at 87.
The Hammer is open Tuesdays through Sundays, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Admission is free.