The Los Angeles Art Show was bigger AND better than ever in 2014, doubling in size to include jewelry and antiques. It was a smart move on the part of event management. The crowds increased but the feeling of being crowded did not.
The Hollywood Sentinel editor, Bruce Edwin, has written a general overview of the show, enabling me to focus on things I really, really, like. And women artists are something I like to see, especially the work of Maria Barrio, represented by Praxis International, which combines the elegant decorative detail of Gustav Klimt with the whimsy of Chagall in a contemporary manner.
Additionally, I like to see things I don't feel like I've seen before and the more art you see the more difficult this becomes. The Gutai collective, a group of Japanese artists active in the 1970's through today, creates unique formal abstract compositions that have a cartoon-like otherworldly feeling of displacement.
I enjoyed the abundance of Chinese painters, who paint as quickly as I do, as well as discovering a new artist named Yao Peng, whose work deals with the both femininity and feminist perspectives by presenting women who are usually presented as “sex toys” as human beings. That is something we need more of, both in Hollywood and in the art world.
On the antiques side, perhaps no one was as engaging as Mark Slotkin and Noel, who shared with me beautiful Victorian prints and Wooten desks.
This year also marks the first time I am creating a preferred vendors list of exceptional art dealers. It is not intended to exclude anyone and is by no means complete, but the following people and companies can be trusted to provide is excellent service, value, and quality. The highly recommended (people and organizations) are as follows:
Egenolf Gallery Japanese Prints
Stoney Road Press, Ireland
Leslie Smith, The Netherlands
Donald at Whitestone Gallery (Gutai works)
Mark Slotkin, Antiquarian Traders (furniture and more)
Wenping Kuo, GP Deva
Jerry Suqi, Century Guild (Chicago)
Mark Pinsukanjana, Modernbrook
Danny Arbusman, Jewels by Viggi
Deborah Wilson, Vendome (Jean Mahie art jewelry)
Stuart and Beverly Denenberg, Denenberg Fine Arts (Beverly Hills)
Ray Waterhouse, Waterhouse Dodd
J. Steven Fearnley, JS Fearnley
Dennis Easter, Russian Icons, Russian Store dot com
Jennifer Kellen, Ace Gallery
Joan (Founder/Art Director, Hues of China)
John Quach, Evergreen Antiques (Chinese antiques, Ming dynasty)
Maria Bruckman, contemporary Russian painting
Jack Rutberg Fine Arts PYO Gallery
It is my hope that those of you who would like to invest in art but don't know where to start can join us next year for the 2015 Los Angeles show at the Convention Center. If you think you "can't afford" fine art, start out with prints; Egenolf, for example, has rare Japanese prints for as little as $475. The show itself, of course, is well worth the price of admission.
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