Your Social Life - It's An Ivan Morley And Culver City Week

Full disclosure, Ivan Morley is an old pal of FBC!, I have written about his work a while ago, but even if it weren't the case, he would still be in my top 3 LA painters (the others being Mark Bradford and Will Fowler. Fowler has 3 exquisite paintings that are currently hanging on a wall at Kordansky, in the office. Don't miss them).

All of his to say that among the myriad of openings this Saturday in Los Angeles, yours truly will only attend the Ivan Morley one at Richard Telles. I'd have gone to the Jon Pylypchuk at China Art Objects too, but the hours are too conflicting, alas.
I'd suggest for all of you who can schedule your tour better than me to start with Morley because it's 5 to 7 PM, and then go to Culver City where, in addition to the Pylypchuk opening, there's also an opening at François Ghebaly (Christopher Chiappa, Gareth Long, Sarah E. Wood) and another one upstairs, how convenient, at the charming Emma Gray's EGHQ, with a title that would make you smile no matter what, "I'm So Happy - an ecstatic experience by Kirsten Stoltmann for people". Cherry & Martin also have an opening, Robert Heineken.

In Santa Monica, the valiant 18th Street Art Center has two openings, while on the total opposite side of town, Charlie James presents a group show If These Walls Could Talk - A Conversation. If you are in Chinatown, it is the last weekend for the group show at Cottage Home.

In non art-related matters, I've heard rumors that Sparks was going to play in LA in June, and I can't wait. I have to remind you that The Residents play at the El Rey on April 9. What else could make me happy? Well, if John Cale could cease to tour Europe and honor the city where he lives with a concert, it would be awesome, and could we please have The Fall come visit soon as well?

Have a great art weekend, people, and don't miss Ivan Morley!

Image: Ivan Morley painting from the Richard Telles Gallery website

Your Social Life

FBC! has been hibernating lately (all this rain, plus a nasty cold) and a bit out of it, so I neglected to help you out with this week Your Social Life. Oopsie.
So, quick, tonight you can go at Another Year In LA and don't worry about Friday night's traffic, because their openings run late. I won't be able to go, so please say hi to David and Cathy for me. Thanks!
Tomorrow is also the opening of the show curated by Michael Ned Holte at Richard Telles, where I will be absent from due to a previous social engagement, so once again please say hi to the charming Will Fowler for me! And after this? Well, you can go see the last days of the Francis Alys show at the Hammer or the Murakami show at MoCA and most importantly swing by the Glendale College Gallery for tomorrow's opening (look for Jennifer Lane and Caroline Thomas' work).
You can also go see the show Patriot Acts at 18th St. in Santa Monica. I'm fully disqualified to review that show since I have 5 friends in it, not including the curator, but before you go vote on Super Tuesday it would probably benefit you to have a refresher in what's great about American's values, when they are cherished and respected.

Next week you will have to brace for the upcoming mammoth opening of BCAM at LACMA. For the non-acronymous readers, all those initials stand for Broad Contemporary Art Museum at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, a mouthful isn't it? You may have seen the Jeff Koons-hatched egg plastered on banners all over town. Koons being championed by Broad in many, many of his gigantic-sized endeavors, the trademark may have seemed obvious to LACMA's Marketing Dept. but I'm afraid not so much for the rest of the city. Now you know!
Anyway, there will be a series of grandiose shindigs starting with the Gala fundraiser and then a series of openings, none of which your truly has been invited to, so I'm a bit peeved at my former LACMA colleagues. That's OK, I will report on the building and the collection once the commotion will have died down. I think I'll contrast it with the Michael Asher show at SMMOA (yay!) and then later will post the LA-provincial-versus-international text I've been working on and off for the past weeks. So if like me you are not invited, you can 1.) but the LAT Sunday, there's a 6-page spread coming up and 2.) get a free community ticket for the Feb. 16/17 weekend (I'm going at 2 PM, if you really want to know, but if there are too many people in attendance I'll flee).

Meanwhile, there's also the brunch at the Broad Foundation to present the new installation there, and I'm very excited to go because there's a Jeff Wall that must be new there, and there will be solid good stuff like Bernd and Hilla Becher, Thomas Struth and Pierre Huygues.
To the best of my knowledge there isn't any Jeff Wall in Los Angeles' public collections, so hopefully it will trigger some desire in collectors here to buy a good one and donate it to an institution here.
I personally don't care (admittedly, I'm not a Museum Director) whether Eli Broad gives or not his collection to LACMA or any other LA museum at the moment, because:

a) he never said he was going to give it, before, during, and after the construction and opening of BCAM (hey, NYT article from a few weeks back: this is not news. The info was out and public for I don't know how long!)
b) he may change his mind later
c) even if he doesn't, the Foundation that will administer the collection may decide to donate it in parts or in its entirety in the future
d) Eli Broad isn't dead, in case you haven't noticed. If you hadn't, you probably live on Mars. Since he's very much alive, he can do as he may well please.
e) The building is great, and if it leads LA donors to pledge more money in the future to totally renovate and rebuild LACMA from scratch it would be a good idea (but please, preserve the Bing Auditorium as is).


And seriously: why is it that Eli Broad can do pretty much as he pleases in LA? It's very simple: no one else is stepping in. Where are you all the other LA billionaires when you are needed? How much do you donate to Los Angeles civic projects? To the Los Angeles public good at large? Probably not enough. Until you do, Eli reigns.

Your Social Life, At Home Only In The Next 2 Weeks

'llo Everybody,

FBC! is back in town and somewhat ready to get back into the groove! Still suffering from art world burnout but trying to get over it, yeepee!

So this week is the kickoff for Photo LA, the Los Angeles photo-centric art fair, as its name indicate. LA is trying to become an art hub with no less than 3 art fairs in January, including the usually boring Los Angeles Art Show, and the upcoming Art LA 2008. These last two will be held roughly at the same moment in about 2 weeks from now. The only one that's really interesting, IMHO, is Photo LA. Check out their program as they present a series of talks and lectures on Saturday that's pretty interesting, including the Charlie White-Jeff Burton one.

I have a feeling the LA Art Show days are numbered, because it mostly includes secondary market galleries, though this year they are joined by the LA Fine Print Fair. I'd rather spend money on a good print than a bad painting, and I remember seeing gems like a very fine Rembrandt self-portrait (an etching I think) 2 years ago that was cheaper than most crappy painting you will fine at Art LA 2008. Well, it still won't come cheap but if I had $15,000 to $20,000 to spend on something I'd get that my Rembrandt etching over anything else. Or I'd go shop at Photo LA!

The only good thing about Art LA is you get to schmooze in a relaxed atmosphere, it is more a friendly neighborhood event than a horrible coke-fueled art world shindig. At least it was last year, and it didn't have any would-be-glamorous party attached (that I knew of). The art, well it's pretty much what you see in LA on any given day, since most galleries are local. Some of my favorite ones are there, so if you insist on going shopping say hi them for me. As FBC! devotees you know which ones they are!

Now this being said I suppose most of you will spend some time in Santa Monica in the next 2 weeks or so. If you happen to go to the Photo LA bash tonight and want to meet FBC! in person, look for a diminutive orange mushroom. I should be easy to spot! You probably won't find me at either the LA Art Show or Art LA, BUT you will for sure find me at the opening party for Patriot Acts at 18th street art complex on the 26th (see image above). It features such luminaries as Vincent Johnson, Susan Stilton, Pam Strugar and Shirley Tse and is curated by Linda Pollack, all people I heppen to know and be friends with. The show truly opens this weekend, so you can see it on your way to Photo LA.

And while I'm speaking of friends and spaces I like, next week is the opening at LAXart of Scoli Acosta' show, with a walk-through by Rita Gonzalez, Da Best Curator In Town!