How the Stones rolled through L.A.
Found: Photographs of the Rolling Stones, a month-long exhibition of twenty-six rare and candid photographs that document the Rolling Stones on their first American tour in 1964 opens soon at Dilettante, a creative theatre and gallery located in Compton. The Stones photo-booty was discovered in an unmarked box at a Central California estate sale — ...
Gwen Samuels’ skyscraper stitchery @ A & D Museum
Looking forward to seeing artist Gwen Samuel’s amazing architectural clothing installed at the Architecture and Design Museum on Wilshire Boulevard across from LACMA. Samuels considers that when we dress and go out into the world we turn ourselves into a moving canvas or a sculpture … or even a classic building. Whatever building I am, ...
Cartoonist John Norment’s mid-century watercolors @ New Puppy Gallery
Feb
7
2012
Opening this coming Saturday night — the first gallery exhibition since 1980 of watercolor paintings by John Norment, a prominent cartoonist for The New Yorker magazine. Over 40 unseen watercolors by the cartoonist and joke book editor/illustrator will be on view in the show, which is co-produced by New Puppy Gallery and Planet Glass. Norment ...
Mike Kelley (1954-2012)
Feb
1
2012
Twinkling Coppers (from “Plato’s Cave, Rothko’s Chapel, Lincoln’s Profile”), 1986 Acrylic on canvas with penny and string of multi-colored flashing electrical Christmas lights 60 x 60 x 3 3/8 inches (152.4 x 152.4 x 8.6 cm) Artist Mike Kelley died today. Story here. Peter Frank, Associate Editor of Fabrik magazine and art critic for The Huffington ...
Sculpture meets photography in Peter Schlesinger’s L.A. homecoming show
Jan
29
2012
Days after seeing Peter Schlesinger’s wonderful photograph, France 1968 (above), part of the L.A.-born artist’s sculpture and photography show at Duke & Duke Gallery, I figured out why I love it. It reminds me of a David Hockney painting. The hot color clash, cool depiction of the leisure class, and disparate figures all hearken the ...
Julian Stanczak’s op art at the L.A. Art Show
Jan
20
2012
Capturing my eye at the L.A. Art Show opening last night, the optical art of Polish-born artist Julian Stanczak, on display by Santa Fe’s David Richard Contemporary art gallery. The show, at the Convention Center — L.A.’s own contribution to urban blight — is on through the weekend. Shifting Square, 1973 acrylic on canvas 30 ...
The Greatest at his best, courtesy of photographer Michael Brennan
Nov
21
2011
We enjoyed seeing art photos of the sweaty Muhammad Ali muss up the otherwise pristine Design Within Reach’s furniture-exhibition halls. The sports-and-boxing theme was an odd fit for the tony Beverly Boulevard retailer, but a good crowd milling ’round the rooms made it all work. Even a glimpse of Ali gives everyone a little more ...
African-American photojournalists capture L.A.’s rich post-War arts world 1
These arts images are drawn from “Identity and Affirmation: Postwar African-American Photography,” an exhibition of 125 images produced by Los Angeles African-American photographers during the postwar years from 1945 to 1980. The marvelous show, now on at Cal State Northridge, also includes social and political photographs. It’s part of the Getty’s “Pacific Standard Time” survey ...
PST: Guy Dill’s seventies art at Leslie Sacks Contemporary
Oct
27
2011
I’m intrigued by the images of beautiful work by Los Angeles artist, Guy Dill, part of the “Pacific Standard Time” celebration of mid-century Los Angeles art. According to the gallery materials, Dill worked raw, natural materials, highlighting their inherent structural and aesthetic qualities. Preserving these elements in their original state, the artist combined material purity ...
Hans Burkhardt, master artist of Los Angeles @ Jack Rutberg Fine Arts
Oct
17
2011
The expansive and influential career of Hans Burkhardt (1904–1994), who constantly updated and reinvented as a painter in Los Angeles is the focus of a survey exhibition of paintings and drawings, “Hans Burkhardt: Within & Beyond the Mainstream.” In the video, gallerist Rutberg notes, with certain contained astonishment, that Burkhardt, who transferred to L.A. after ...