Dear Readers,

I just got back from the ARCO fair in Madrid. It was a long overdue getaway, a chance to immerse myself in another climate, another culture, and to drink some sangria.

But even though it was half a world away, the business of the magazine wouldn't leave me alone. My publisher back in LA kept me grounded with horror stories of our advertising attrition — and not because of the economy, but over our last issue, our first biennial sex issue. Apparently the content was too racy for some of our advertisers, who never want to have anything to do with us again.

When I heard the news, I had just got back from visiting the Prado. Excuse me, but the images we published in January were tame compared to what hangs on the walls of the Prado. Our sex issue made the Prado and Reina Sofia look like upscale brothels. The ratio of nudes to clothed outnumbers any hot tub in the San Fernando Valley. Didn't I just see The Maja, Goya's matching clothed and nude versions of a reclining woman — it is said to be the first painting depicting pubic hair! OMG! At the Prado? And what about those alien-creatures running around naked performing lewd acts in Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights? I want to extend an invitation to our advertisers who thought our last issue was too X-rated. Please take a trip to an art museum for chrissakes.

Visiting world-class art institutions in Madrid made me think of our museums back home. MOCA LA boasts that it is the world's top contemporary art museum. That's a pretty highfalutin statement. Really? Better than MoMA in New York, better than Reina Sofia in Madrid? It looks like bluster to me, as if they're hoping we won't notice the small crowds and lackluster shows.

What does it say about a city if its art centers are anemic? People travel to Madrid to see its museums. Do people travel to Los Angeles for the same reason? Certainly, The Getty Center can attract the masses. But does MOCA attract like the Sophia Reina? Like MoMA? I think not.

The people who run our Los Angeles art institutions seem highly aware of this problem, and are trying to put our museums on the map. Bringing Michael Govan to LACMA shows a concerted effort. But our city's major museum, The Getty, is drifting without a captain. And what happened to Claremont's art museum, that opened and closed in the span of two short years? Does it really matter to anyone that Fresno's Metropolitan Museum closed its doors last January?

This issue takes a look at art institutions in California. And the fact is, Los Angeles does seem to be paying attention with MOCA's envelope-pushing hire of New York art dealer Jeffrey Deitch as its new director. There was a deluge of ink when it happened, but Artillery wanted to canvas the art community here in LA and New York (not just the critics). Los Angeles art dealers had plenty of "nice" things to say. Artists are a little bolder with their thoughts as they don't have as much at stake. New Yorkers have nothing at stake, so they were a little more candid and verbose. And collectors follow the same candy lane as the LA art dealers.

The art world can be a tricky place. Its many tiers have many roles. Museums are still at the top of the heap — we're hoping they can stay that way.

—Tulsa Kinney