LA Art Show 20th Anniversary Exhibit & Highlights through January 18th, 2015

By Karen Ostlund
The LA Art Show: A 20-Year History, a Los Angeles Legacy - Celebrates today its 20th Anniversary, January 14th-18th, 2015.

Actress Amy Adams and Darren Le Gallo

 The LA Art Show, the 200,000 square foot art fair welcomed more than 50,000 art enthusiasts to the Los Angeles Convention Center last year.

Founded in 1994, the show has grown from a small regional event featuring 14 galleries to become the largest and longest running platform for fine art, bringing in more than 120 galleries representing 22 countries.

In recent years, the LA Art Show has become the most internationally diverse art platform in the Western world, bringing in the largest groupings of Korean, Chinese and Japanese galleries outside of Asia. 

Beginning in 2010, the LA Art Show has actively developed its international gallery offerings to provide collectors with a unique opportunity, to spot international trends and zeitgeist through art, a medium that has the ability to transcend language. This keen focus has been a hallmark of the show.

Andy Warhol in silicon by artist Kazuhiro Tsuji,Copro Gallery

 LA Art Show was founded in 1994, with Kim Martindale as general manger, to create a platform to showcase American Regionalism and Historic works, but in its earliest days, Martindale had a vision to grow the LA Art Show into an internationally significant art fair catering to the unique needs of Los Angeles. Since then, it has outgrown three venues before finding its current home at the world-class Los Angeles Convention Center six years ago. 

Prior to its move, the LA Art Show spent seven years at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica where it cemented its location as a Los Angeles destination for art and design events.

Damien Hirst Butterfly series

La Art Show South Hall, will showcase limited edition jewelry pieces designed by renowned British artist Damien Hirst and Californian jewelers HOORSENBUHS. The Cathedral Collection combines HOORSENBUHS signature tri-link design with Hirst’s iconic "pharmaceutical religion," which follows from Hirst’s previous jewelry collections in its use of medical symbology.

“We are thrilled to feature this new collection by Damien Hirst. We hosted the California debut of his Butterfly Print Series “The Souls” in 2012 and his work has always resonated very well with our audience. It is an honor for us to continue to showcase such exclusive and exceptional work by one of the most internationally recognized and respected artists alive today,” stated LA Art Show Producer, Kim Martindal.

The collection consists of two pieces; a Pill Ring and Pill Rosary with each item limited to a 25-piece run. Made of golden Valium, Vicodin & Viagra pills, the Pill Ring and Pill Rosary can be customized to individual specifications including size, precious metal, and stone preference. Retailing from $25,000-$60,000, every stamped and numbered piece in the collection comes in a specially created pill vial, the seal of which can only be broken once.

This is encased within an exclusively made red HIRST X HOORSENBUHS box.

“You can pray to your pills. They are like a cure,” said Hirst. The collection is an extension of Hirst’s previous series that have explored, religion, art, love, and medicine turning contemporary art into wearable pieces.

The Cathedral Collection will be presented by London-based gallery "Other Criteria" at booth #706.

Last night's opening remarks was held by Councilman Tom LaBonge,to present a certificate from the City of Los Angeles to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

LA Art Show Master of Ceremonies, Kim Martingale also presented certificates from: 

The City of Los Angeles to China Cultural Media Group Limited, the National Base for International Cultural Trade, General Manager Yibiao Ren and Shanghai Art Fair International Exhibition Co. Ltd. and to
Consul General Abdulla Al Sabousi.

Gallery Highlights, through January 18th, 2015:  

Artist Regina Lyubovnaya at Alice-Rice Gallery

 Alice-Rice Gallery (Booth #2008) near entrance

• Artist Regina Lyubovnaya, will be live painting at the Alice-Rice booth.

Art All Ways, (Booth #830)

• Will debut new works by RETNA! Will feature paintings at booth as well as in VIP lounge. RENTA’S 8’ x 25’ “Optic Nerve” will be accompanied by the debut of Drape Me in Fine Leyens of Threads, Dip Me in Gold, 2014
• Artist Bas Meeuws is a young photographer who is injecting the traditional Dutch genre of the flower piece with new élan. He composes his work the way the old masters did, flower by flower in luxury and splendour. The result is a layered photography that transcends time.

Arte Berri (Booth #1221)

• This is the first gallery from the Dominican Republic that will be showcasing in LA. They are presenting at a Project space which is a solo show of the Dominican artist, Amaya Salazar. She works with different media and the gallery will be showcasing her newest works in resin. The artist will be at the booth during the entire art fair. Her work deals very much with Valiant women.

Artspace Warehouse (Booth #831/833)

• Will feature artworks by Ron Piller, whose is considered a rising international star in the art world LA artist Raul de la Torre. The current president of the board of trustees at MOCA (Fred Sands) just recently bought a large canvas artwork from Raul de la Torre at Artspace Warehouse.
• Dutch artist Gerdine Duijsens who, since showing at Artspace Warehouse for less than a year now, has been acquired by several major art collectors in LA (including Suzanne Saperstein)

Barclay Samson (Booth #238)

• “ELLES by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec” (1864 – 1901). This original lithograph was the front cover of a brothel series done by Lautrec. “Elles” means “these women” The series depicts their everyday life in a brothel. 
• “California League of Sexual Freedom Annual Ball” a rare and famous American Psychedelic poster from 1967. The California League of Sexual Freedom was founded in New York by Jefferson Poland in 1963. The league was extended to California in 1966 when Poland moved there. The nexus of the group was at the campus of the University of California, Berkeley. A magnificent example of psychedelic art of the 1960s, The poster lists a spectrum of performers, among them The Doors, Strawberry Alarm Clock and Captain Beefheart.
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Coagula Curatorial (Booth #707)

Artist Lavialle Campbell

• Will feature new work by four Los Angeles artists: Abel Alejandre, Lavialle Campbell, Mark Dutcher and Carol Sears.
• Mexican-born Abel Alejandre, resident of Los Angeles, will have his art at the Westwood station of the new Expo Line opening early next year. The entire station is dedicated to his drawings reproduced on tile.

Daphne Alazraki Fine Art (Booth #413)

• Specializes in 19th Century and early 20th Century European Paintings, highlights works by Jean-Pierre Cassigneul, a rare example of a Venetian view by Post-Impressionist artist, Henri Martin, and a racy and vibrant example of 3 yachts racing by marine artist Montague Dawson.  

Evan Lurie Gallery (Booth #528-532, 627)

Alexi Torres, Evan Lurie Gallery

• Featured artists are: Nick Veasey the leading x-ray artist in the world who has been featured in Time magazine and multiple other publications, Jeff Robb, Jorge Santos, Alexi Torres who has become widely collected by celebrity clientele, Brad Howe who is having a major sculptural exhibition at the show, Victor Wang, and others.  
• Artist Brad Howe will be on a Dialogs LA panel discussion on Saturday, January 17 at 5pm.

The Frostig Collection (Booth #601)

• Will feature installation by Ray Turner with 40 portrait heads painted on glass which is a part of his traveling museum show entitled POPULATION. 
• Artist Ray Turner will be in and out throughout the show.

G2 Gallery (Booth #728)

• Featured artists include Jim des Rivieres, Jory Vander Galien and Jennifer MaHarry
• Jennifer MaHarry being present Thursday, January 15 and Friday, January 16 to answer questions about her increasingly popular environmental photography. 

Galerie Simard Bilodeau (Booth #222/323)

• Will feature seven international living-museum artists. Mary-Louise Snowden, American Master Sculptor who has a very special link with the City of Los Angeles, having been commissioned in 2000 the altar for the Cathedral of Our Lady in Los Angeles, plated gold.  She is also the ultimate prodigy of the French Great Master Sculptor Auguste Rodin who created the iconic sculpture The Thinker.  She was passed along, as third generation, Rodin's sculpting tools, secret patina recipe, and sculpting technique. We will also be focusing on renown Italian painter, Saturno Butto, who is highly progressive and provocative in his philosophy and artwork.         
• Additional artists in view include Larry Renzo who will be attending the LA Art Show for a few hours on Saturday 17th. 
• Gallery owners Eve-Marie Bilodeau & Guy Simard, will be attending every day.

Gallery KITAI (Booth #1018)

• Will feature a solo show of Mizuho Koyama "Calli-Graphiti"

Jack Rutberg Fine Arts (Booth #506/605)

• Joel-Peter Witkin & Jerome Witkin: A reprise of the gallery’s recent “Twin Visions: Jerome Witkin & Joel-Peter Witkin,” presenting the identical twin brothers on facing walls. Bringing the provocative works by the estranged twins together for the first time marked an historic occasion. The exhibition was a revelation to collectors, curators and critics, as few were aware that these two formidable artists were even related.  This critically celebrated exhibition, with more than 30 write-ups, has had a life of its own, as articles continue to be published.  The exhibition publication, now just released by DAP, will be available at the Rutberg stand.  “Twin Visions” continues to have international impact and will open its international museum tour in Mexico City in 2016.
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• Bruce Richards: A special installation of works by the L.A. artist, Bruce Richards - now living in New York - will be presented in Jack Rutberg Fine Arts’ booth, following its critically celebrated exhibition, “Future Past” presented at the gallery on La Brea Avenue. The LA Art Show will afford its thousands of viewers an opportunity to engage pithy paintings and sculpture by the artist so widely collected by leading contemporary artists of this city.  See the just released review of Richards’ exhibition in the new ArtLtd. Magazine. Bruce Richards was included at the LA Art Show in 2013 as a noted panelist in the ground-breaking presentation entitled “Letters From Los Angeles”.  
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• Jordi Alcaraz: When the Catalonian artist Jordi Alcaraz was introduced to L.A. by Jack Rutberg Fine Arts and then presented at the LA Art Show, Alcaraz’s exhibition was cited by a collective of art critics as one of the top 10 “museum” shows of that year.  This year the LA Art Show has asked Jack Rutberg to present a special stand-alone exhibition of Jordi’s work, in addition to those works that will be presented in the Rutberg booth.  Major works employing wall and sculptural objects will again afford viewers the chance to see one of the most unique voices on the international scene.  A visual alchemist who utilizes materials familiar to us, yet are so distinctively unique, that the common response to Alcaraz’s poetic, abstract assemblages is to discover something not seen before.  This affords another rare opportunity for LA Art Show visitors to see one of the most extraordinary and original voices on the international contemporary scene.
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• Francisco Zuniga: Inarguably one of the most important Latin American sculptors, Francisco Zuniga will be represented at the Jack Rutberg Fine Arts booth by works including a recently discovered monumental scale drawing of Zuniga’s iconic standing women.  This heroic work will be exhibited for the first time following its residency in a private collection for decades.  In contrast, this large masterpiece will be shown in tandem with an exceedingly rare and stunning wood sculpture of a kneeling woman. Wood sculptures by the master are of extreme rarity. In this example, this kneeling woman’s intimate size, elegance and grace are equal to its monumental impact, despite its size.  The two works are clear indications of why Francisco Zuniga is cited as Mexico’s most important sculptor of the 20^th Century.  Costa Rica, the site of his birth in 1912, also cites that claim.
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• Extraordinary works exhibited will also include works by: Hans Burkhardt:  Major paintings from the 1950s, including the masterful “Hollywood by Night” Ruth Weisberg: The eminent Los Angeles figurative artist will be well represented by works on canvas and paper Patrick Graham:  Following its extended museum tour, the Irish painter Patrick Graham will be well represented in a monumental scale painting entitled “Ruah/Mayo,” in addition to his widely sought-after mixed media drawings/paintings/collages on board, affording another rare opportunity to see this important artist who has had a consequential impact on artists from Ireland to Los Angeles.
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• Other works exhibited will be those by Reuben Nakian, Sam Francis, Norman Bluhm, Diego Rivera, Roberto Matta, and others.

Keumsan Gallery (Booth #606)

• Featured artists include Wang Ziwon and Koo Egene.

La Luz de Jesus Gallery (Booth #1124)

• Will hosting the West Coast debut of artist Damien Echols, one of the West Memphis Three, wrongfully accused of murder and forced to serve almost 20 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. There have been four successful documentaries on his case, two of which were Oscar nominated. 
• Gallery will also be showcase brand new bodies of work by Christine Wu, Annie Murphy Robinson, and José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros, whose drunken snow white painting was one of the biggest memes of recent years, as well as recent paintings by Shaun Berke and a full installation throughout the Littletopia area by Scott Hove, whose Cakeland sculptures serve as the official Littletopia mascot this year. We'll also have paintings from our currently exhibiting artists Hudson Marquez (co-founder of the famed Ant Farm collective and creator of the Cadillac Ranch public art installation) and Charles Binger (d. 1974).
• Hudson Marquez will be lecturing on Sunday at the gallery from 2-4 PM, discussing the works at the LA Art show and discussing his part as a co-founder of TVTV, which changed the shape and face of television journalism and landed him in the TV Hall of Fame.
• Scott Hove will be at the booth throughout the weekend.

Mizoe Art Gallery (Booth #825)

• Gallery will feature a Tamie OKUYAMA’s solo exhibition, Japanese successful female artist. 11 works will be on view and the artist will be onsite.

MS Rau (Booth 322-421)

•  Specific works presented at the show including Le Repas des Amoureux (c. 1980) by Marc Chagall (pictured above), Rosa Bonheur’s The Horse Fair (c. 1985) and Norman Rockwell’s Delivering Two Busts, Saturday Evening Post cover, April 18, 1931, as well as exceptional works by Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and many other artists from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. 

Mugello Contemporary (Booth #1120)

• Will showcase several local California based artists, and will do a special tribute to the Hollywood rebel/music culture that will feature a 12 foot Gibson guitar done in collage and mixed media by Billy Morrison (guitarist of Billy Idol) and Greg Auerbach (LA local) which will be used at the Gibson headquarters on Sunset after the show. 
• All of the artists will be in attendance throughout the week.

Neu Gallery Ltd (Booth #735)

• Will feature works Hong Kong artist Eileen Chan.  She is one of the first Hong Kong female artist who participated Florence and London Art Biennale.  Her “Time Gala” painting was officially selected to be showcased in the Nanjing International Art Exhibition China. Chan's bottle arts have brought her collaboration with fashion brands, such as Tumi and Franck Muller, to create life style products with artistic touch; embrace the concept of 'art as a lifestyle'.
• Artist will not be at the show, but gallery owners Mr. James and Ms. Denise Wong.

Revolver Gallery (Booth #240)

• The only gallery in the world that exclusively sells the works of Andy Warhol. Will feature 10 works on paper from Andy Warhol at the Art Show next week. Highlights are a stunning Liz Taylor, a Marilyn Monroe, Red Lenin, Mickey Mouse, and some one of a kind unique “Trial Proofs” of Alexander the Great, Ingrid Bergman, and Howdy Doody.  Trial Proofs are test prints in different color ways from the regular edition prints that Warhol would create.  While he was experimenting with different color options for his works, he would create around 30 different examples.  He would choose his favorite for the regular edition, and then sign, number, and sell the remainder.  What makes these Trial Proofs so unique, is that they are one of a kind works. 

Rediscovered Masters (Booth #330/429)

• Will feature a solo exhibition by artist CUATRECASAS. His works were buried for forty years. He is not a high-risk emerging artist.  On the contrary, he achieved serious critical recognition, including solo exhibitions at museums in the 1960s-70s. But he dropped out of sight for tragic reasons and slipped through the cracks. Gallery owner Peter Falk will be attending.

Sandra Lee Gallery (Booth #642)

• Featured artists are Jeff Palladini and Gregg Chadwick. Jeff Palladini paints on TV monitors, and 6 of his pieces will be on display outside of my booth. His pieces are 3d and 2d and show paintings over moving backgrounds. It is very worthwhile to interview him and see his original works. 
• Gregg Chadwick is an expressive oil painter from Santa Monica who captures light and momentary actions very well.

Tansey Contemporary (Booth #912)

Gugger Petter at Tansey Gallery

• Gallery Highlights include works by artists Gugger Petter, Susan Taylor Glasgow, Patrick McGrath Muniz (one of his works were recently acquired by Johnny Depp in LA), and Lewis Knauss whose work has recently been on view in the “Making Design” exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt Museum, National Design Collection, a Smithsonian Institution and is currently on exhibit in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg where his work will become part of the permanent collection for a new American Contemporary Craft collection at the museum
• Artist Gino Miles, has organized the "Global Code Project' to help explore art a form of communication that continues to evolve in new and interesting ways. For Global Code event at LAAS on opening night, Gino has created a piece that spells "LA" in Morse Code. The piece will be painted onsite by street artists and a portion of proceeds from the sale of the piece donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

Thomas French Fine Art (Booth #301)

• Will be featuring the work of Sedrick Huckaby. In addition to displaying some of his work in their booth, they will also be exhibiting one of his monumental quilt paintings in the common area.

Tufenkian Fine Art (Booth #338)

• Will feature works by master Armenian artist Hagop Hagopian, who was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Armenia in 1971 and State Prize of USSR in 1986.  His works have been widely exhibited, collected in both private collections and in museums. Artists Harry Vorperian and Aram Vartanov, will be onsite Saturday afternoon.

VK Gallery (Booth #928)

• Will feature artists Narine Isajanyan, Michael  Krasowitz, Joel Urruty, Bruce R.MacDonald.

Walter Wickiser Gallery (Booth #917)

Artist Edmund Ian Grant at Walter Wickiser Gallery

• Artist Charles Schucker is a pioneer American painter who was a first generation Abstract Expressionist. He poured oil paint thinned with turpentine and unstretched canvases which are often cut and sewed to accommodate overlapping designs. Schucker has achieved a personal imagery quite unlike that of other "pourers' such as Morris Louis whose works are included in the permanent collection MoMA, New York. Schucker has been showing prominent museums and galleries including the one man exhibition at Whitney Museum. Schucker's work, "Marcus Aurelius" was featured in the movie "Usual Suspects" starring Kevin Spacey and Gabriel Byrne. 
• Ralph L. Wickiser exhibited with Jackson Pollock, Georgia O’keeffe, Willem de Kooning,  at the Whitney Museum and exhibited in every major museum in the United States. He has been reviewed by The New York Times, Art in America, ARTnews starting in ARTnews in 1934 and most recently in ARTnews June, 2009.
• Most recently, his work has been included in the book, A History of American Tonalism, 1880-1920, written by David Adams Cleveland which won the best Fine Art Book of the Year in 2011. Wickiser's upcoming exhibition will be held at Georgetown University Gallery from 2015-2016 and also at Leepa-Rattner Museum in St. Petersburg College, FL in 2015.

GENERAL SHOW DATES
Thursday, January 15, 2015, 11am - 7pm
Friday, January 16, 2015, 11am - 7pm
Saturday, January 17, 2015, 11am - 7pm
Sunday, January 18, 2015, 11am - 5pm
 
Location:
The LA Art Show is located in the South Hall J & K at the Los Angeles Convention Center 1201 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015. www.laartshow.com 

Art benefiting Saving Elephants by artist Laura Seeley