2008 Pageant of the Masters

If you have ever gone to an art museum, you know how it works: you wander around indoors in carefully controlled atmospheric conditions, with lighting designed to give you a good view of the paintings you are seeing. What would you think of an opportunity to see legendary paintings outdoors on a beautiful California day? It would certainly be worthwhile to get a ticket to such an event.

That's what you can have if you go to the Irvine Bowl in Laguna Beach. Pageant of the Masters brings to life many of the world's most famous paintings, literally. People and appropriate props are arranged in a tableau like that of a given painting (for example, 'The Last Supper'), and you can view these masterpieces all in one venue without having to buy multiple plane tickets to distant destinations.

Pageant of the Masters was the brainchild of actress Lolita Perine, who created a living picture at the 1932 Laguna Beach Festival of Arts. Set behind a fake picture frame, local residents in proper costumes recreated the visual image of a number of paintings.

Seventy-some years later, Pageant of the Masters involves an orchestra and a narrator. The show lasts 90 minutes, and with this year's theme, "A Passion for Art," the 2006 version includes art inspired by Berninni's sculpture "Ecstasy of Saint Teresa" and paintings by Vincent Van Gogh. The final piece portrayed is traditionally Leonardo da Vinci's 'The Last Supper.' Take binoculars and a blanket to the Irvine Bowl for the most comfort and the best view, and be sure to get your tickets before this huge event is over.