Los Angeles Confidential - 2014 - Issue 4 - Summer by Niche Media Holdings, LLC

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F ront Runners Masterpiece theater: From his far-flung manor in England, Angeleno-turnedAnglophile J. Paul Getty spent 20 years masterminding his namesake museum.

It Takes a Villa SIXTY YEARS AGO, AMERICA’S RICHEST MUSEUM WAS A GLEAM IN THE EYE OF AN ART-OBESESSED OIL TYCOON. BY SPENCER BECK

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID FARRELL/GETTY IMAGES

ohn Paul Getty was an odd man. Not as eccentric, perhaps, as fellow billionaire oil baron and contemporary Howard Hughes… but almost. Notoriously miserly (he famously installed a pay phone in his Sutton Place estate outside London and charged his son interest on a loan to pay the kidnappers of his namesake grandson), the fivetimes-married founder of Getty Oil was, unlike Hughes, militantly anti-philanthropic. But he did love one thing more than money: art. It all started immodestly enough 60 years ago, in 1954, when J.P. built a gallery alongside his 64-acre ranch in Pacific Palisades to house his growing collection of art and antiquities. Quickly outgrowing the space, he commissioned a meticulously accurate re-creation of Italy’s Villa dei Papiri, which had been destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius almost two millennia previously. Finally, 40 years ago, in 1974, the first Getty museum opened. When Anglomaniac Getty died at 83 in 1976, never having visited the museum, he left a whopping $661 million (approximately $2.7 billion today) to the J. Paul Getty Trust (which operates the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Foundation, the Getty Research Institute, and the Getty Conservation Institute), making it the world’s wealthiest art “conglomerate,” and the original crown jewel in LA’s burgeoning art kingdom. Today, the Getty Villa sits amid the hills overlooking the Pacific as a world apart. A fitting testament to its founder— austere yet sublime, a monument to beauty and excess—the original Getty, gleaming after its nine-year, $275 million renovation, holds its own with its more garish, celebrated sister museum crowning a hillock above the 405 in Brentwood. Oilman Getty once remarked, “The meek shall inherit the earth… but not the mineral rights.” Intoxicated by a manic passion for art, however, California’s miserly Medici manqué bequeathed the hoi polloi a museum glittering with the finest jewels of the ancient world. With free admission, even the meek are welcome. LAC

Summer 2014 10 Front Runners 20 From the Editor-in-Chief 22 From the Publisher 24 ...Without Whom This Issue Would Not Have Been Possible 27 Invited 36 The List

People 40 Portrait of the Aristo Could Eugenio López Alonso be the most important arts patron in the Americas? Cultural arbiters from MOCA to Mexico City are betting on it.

46 Golden Boys Boundary-smashing design duo The Haas Brothers chart their ascent from their family’s Texas backyard to Art Basel and the Ace Hotel.

48 Hollywood and Highlander Guardians of the Galaxy villainess Karen Gillan talks going bald for Marvel’s summer blockbuster.

50 Miracle Worker LA style soothsayer Des Kohan reflects on how the Miracle Mile helped sculpt her influential art-meets-fashion boutique.

As the subject of Mike Myers’ new documentary, legendary talent manager Shep Gordon opens up about his famous friends and his longing for family.

58 A Capital Idea Creative Capital kick-starts sustainable careers in the arts by offering more than just money.

LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM

46 Golden Boys

Twin designers Nikolai and Simon Haas dream up provocative pieces from their Downtown LA den.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRAD SWONETZ

54 Shep Forward

ILORI The Americana at Brand 220 Americana Way, Glendale 818.244.5647 OPTICAL SHOP OF ASPEN Santa Monica 2904 Main Street 310.392.0633

Summer 2014

116 The Bare and the Beautiful

Sizzle this summer in pieces that exude classic glamour.

Culture 64 Fab Forever It’s been 50 years since the Beatles’ first show at the Hollywood Bowl—and Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart is throwing the party of the summer to celebrate.

Mist dress, Altuzarra ($1,460). Neiman Marcus, 9700 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-550-5900; neimanmarcus.com. Bangle, Jennifer Miller Jewelry (set of five, $235). jennifer miller.com. Garden tote ($450) and watercolor botanical scarf ($195), Tory Burch. 366 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-274-2394; toryburch.com. Espadrilles, Soludos ($43). QIO, 12205 W. Pico Blvd., LA, 310-9793555; soludos.com

66 The China Syndrome With a major group show set to open in Beijing, LA art is becoming a hot commodity for Chinese collectors.

68 Art’s the Limit The Lapis Press fêtes its 30th anniversary with limited-edition work from renowned local artists.

Taste 72 Chapter and Verve The ultrahip LA Chapter at the Ace Hotel is ground zero for Downtown LA’s culinary awakening.

76 Café au LA! Downtown is abuzz with a host of new craft coffee bars—both homegrown and from afar.

78 Tour de Tables From the Arts District to Bunker Hill, each Downtown neighborhood has a flavor—and a must-visit restaurant—all its own.

DTLA’s top chefs are putting their own gourmet twists on the classic taco.

82 Cuisine Artists Downtown dining heavyweights David Bernahl, Robert Weakley, and Rory Herrmann give a preview of the Los Angeles Food & Wine festival—and the future of DTLA’s food scene.

LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON MCDONALD

80 Mexican Revelation

WELCOME TO OUR WORLD

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102 Made in LA

Tala Madani is one of 35 artists selected for “Made in L.A. 2014”—the Hammer Museum’s blockbuster summer show.

Summer 2014 Treasures 86 Shoe-In! Jimmy Choo Creative Director Sandra Choi reveals what’s next for Hollywood’s favorite footwear brand.

88 All in the Fiamma Grab hold of an LA-exclusive handbag honoring the memory of Salvatore Ferragamo’s influential daughter.

90 Go West SoCal beach life inspires Oliver Peoples’ latest line of sunglasses, while Westime sets up shop in Malibu.

92 Ouli-la-la! Art-smart design shop Ouli may only be 350 square feet, but it’s quickly grown into an Eastside powerhouse.

94 All Hands on Deck Top timepiece brands are helping to save the oceans, one watch at a time.

Feature 96 Life to the Max Beloved Pop artist Peter Max paints a picture of his 40-year career while creating exclusive cover art for Los Angeles Confidential and The Humane Society of the United States.

Haute Property 126 Home, Sweet Museum Lighting, temperature, security… these are just some of the things to consider when building a home fit for an A-1 art collection.

128 Going Coastal The Golden Coast lives up to its name, boasting bold seaside properties with hefty price tags.

Abode and Beyond 133 Up, Upcoming, and Away! Gusford director Kelsey Lee Offield is outfitting LA’s most stylish homes with cutting-edge art.

134 Deck the Walls Spruce up your space with blue-chip works from these top LA art galleries.

And Finally... 136 Fair Thee Well Art consultant Barbara Guggenheim gives a crash course on how to navigate art fairs gracefully.

102 Made in LA Get an exclusive look at the Hammer Museum’s 2014 biennial—a can’t-miss megashow spotlighting the state of the blazing-hot LA art world.

This summer, resortwear gets a retrocinematic twist.

LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRAD SWONETZ

116 The Bare and the Beautiful

Rodeo Drive • Beverly Center • South Coast Plaza • Westfield Topanga • Americana at Brand

SPENCER BECK Editor-in-Chief Deputy Editor ERIN MAGNER Executive Managing Editor DEBORAH L. MARTIN Senior Art Director FRYDA LIDOR Art Director ADRIANA GARCIA Photo Editor REBECCA SAHN Entertainment and Bookings Editor JULIET IZON Senior Fashion Editor LAUREN FINNEY Copy and Research Manager WENDIE PECHARSKY Research Editor LESLIE ALEXANDER

ALISON MILLER Group Publisher Associate Publisher VALERIE ROBLES Account Directors TIFFANY CAREY, NORMA MONTALVO, ELIZABETH MOORE Account Executive ALICIA DRY Director of Event Marketing MELINDA JAGGER Event Marketing Manager ANTHONY ANGELICO Assistant Distribution Relations Manager JENNIFER PALMER Office Manager CAROLYN SCARBROUGH Sales and Marketing Assistant KELSEY MARRUJO

NICHE MEDIA HOLDINGS, LLC Senior Vice President and Editorial Director MANDI NORWOOD Vice President of Creative and Fashion ANN SONG Creative Director NICOLE A. WOLFSON NADBOY Executive Fashion Director SAMANTHA YANKS

ART AND PHOTO

Associate Art Directors ANASTASIA TSIOUTAS CASALIGGI, ALLISON FLEMING, JUAN PARRA, JESSICA SARRO Senior Designer NATALI SUASNAVAS Designers GIL FONTIMAYOR, SARAH LITZ Photo Director LISA ROSENTHAL BADER Photo Editors KATHERINE HAUSENBAUER-KOSTER, JODIE LOVE, SETH OLENICK, JENNIFER PAGAN Photo Producer KIMBERLY RIORDAN Senior Staff Photographer JEFFREY CRAWFORD Senior Digital Imaging Specialist JEFFREY SPITERY Digital Imaging Specialist JEREMY DEVERATURDA Digital Imaging Assistant HTET SAN Fashion Editor FAYE POWER

FASHION

Associate Fashion Editor ALEXANDRIA GEISLER

Fashion Assistants CONNOR CHILDERS, LISA FERRANDINO

COPY AND RESEARCH

Copy Editors DAVID FAIRHURST, NICOLE LANCTOT, DALENE ROVENSTINE, JULIA STEINER

Research Editors JUDY DEYOUNG, MURAT OZTASKIN, AVA WILLIAMS

EDITORIAL OPERATIONS

Director of Editorial Operations DEBORAH L. MARTIN Director of Editorial Relations MATTHEW STEWART Editorial Assistant CHRISTINA CLEMENTE Online Executive Editor CAITLIN ROHAN Online Editors ANNA BEN YEHUDA, TRICIA CARR Senior Managing Editors DANINE ALATI, KEN RIVADENEIRA, JILL SIERACKI Managing Editors JENNIFER DEMERITT, KAREN ROSE, JOHN VILANOVA Shelter and Design Editor SUE HOSTETLER

Timepiece Editor ROBERTA NAAS

ADVERTISING SALES

Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing NORMAN M. MILLER Account Directors SUSAN ABRAMS, MICHELE ADDISON, CLAIRE CARLIN, KATHLEEN FLEMING, KAREN LEVINE, MEREDITH MERRILL, GRACE NAPOLITANO, JEFFREY NICHOLSON, DEBORAH O’BRIEN, SHANNON PASTUSZAK Account Executives SUSANA ARAGON, JUDSON BARDWELL, MICHELLE CHALA, THOMAS CHILLEMI, MORGAN CLIFFORD, JANELLE DRISCOLL, VINCE DUROCHER, DINA FRIEDMAN, SARAH HECKLER, VICTORIA HENRY, CATHERINE KUCHAR, FENDY MESY, MARISA RANDALL, MARY RUEGG, LAUREN SHAPIRO, JIM SMITH, CAROLINE SNECKENBERG, JACKIE VAN METER, JESSICA ZIVKOVITCH, GABRIELLA ZURROW National Sales Coordinator HOWARD COSTA Sales Support and Development EMMA BEHRINGER, ANA BLAGOJEVIC, EMILY BURDETT, CRISTINA CABIELLES, BRITTANY CORBETT, JAMIE HILDEBRANDT, DARA HIRSH, MICHELLE MASS, NICHOLE MAURER, RUE MCBRIDE, STEPHEN OSTROWSKI, ELENA SENDOLO, ALEXANDRA WINTER

MARKETING, PROMOTIONS, AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations LANA BERNSTEIN Vice President of Integrated Marketing EMILY MCLINTOCK Director of Integrated Marketing ROBIN KEARSE Integrated Marketing Manager JIMMY KONTOMANOLIS Director of Creative Services SCOTT ROBSON Promotions Art Designers DANIELLE MORRIS, CARLY RUSSELL Event Marketing Directors AMY FISCHER, HALEE HARCZYNSKI, LAURA MULLEN, JOANNA TUCKER, KIMMY WILSON Event Marketing Managers CHRISTIAMILDA CORREA, MONIKA KOWALCZYK, CRISTINA PARRA Event Marketing Coordinator BROOKE BIDDLE Event Marketing Assistant SHANA KAUFMAN

ADVERTISING PRODUCTION

Vice President of Manufacturing MARIA BLONDEAUX Director of Positioning and Planning SALLY LYON Positioning and Planning Manager TARA MCCRILLIS Assistant Production Director PAUL HUNTSBERRY Production Manager BLUE UYEDA Production Artists ALISHA DAVIS, MARISSA MAHERAS Distribution Manager MATT HEMMERLING Fulfillment Manager DORIS HOLLIFIELD Traffic Supervisor ESTEE WRIGHT Traffic Coordinators JEANNE GLEESON, MALLORIE SOMMERS Circulation Research Specialist CHAD HARWOOD

FINANCE

Controller DANIELLE BIXLER Finance Directors AUDREY CADY, LISA VASSEUR-MODICA Advertising Business Manager RICHARD YONG Director of Credit and Collections CHRISTOPHER BEST Senior Credit and Collections Analyst MYRNA ROSADO Senior Billing Coordinator CHARLES CAGLE Senior Accountant LILY WU Junior Accountants PONNIE FITZPATRICK, NEIL SHAH, NATASHA WARREN

ADMINISTRATION, DIGITAL, AND OPERATIONS

Director of Operations MICHAEL CAPACE Director of Human Resources STEPHANIE MITCHELL Executive Assistant ARLENE GONZALEZ Digital Media Developer MICHAEL KWAN Digital Producer ANTHONY PEARSON Facilities Coordinator JOUBERT GUILLAUME Chief Technology Officer JESSE TAYLOR Desktop Administrators ZACHARY CUMMO, EDGAR ROCHE

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

J.P. ANDERSON (Michigan Avenue), ANDREA BENNETT (Vegas), KATHY BLACKWELL (Austin Way), KRISTIN DETTERLINE (Philadelphia Style), ERIN LENTZ (Aspen Peak), LISA PIERPONT (Boston Common), CATHERINE SABINO (Gotham), JARED SHAPIRO (Ocean Drive), ELIZABETH E. THORP (Capitol File), SAMANTHA YANKS (Hamptons)

PUBLISHERS

JOHN M. COLABELLI (Philadelphia Style), LOUIS DELONE (Austin Way), ALEXANDRA HALPERIN (Aspen Peak), DEBRA HALPERT (Hamptons), SUZY JACOBS (Capitol File), GLEN KELLEY (Boston Common), COURTLAND LANTAFF (Ocean Drive), KATHERINE NICHOLLS (Gotham), DAN USLAN (Michigan Avenue), JOSEF VANN (Vegas)

President and Chief Operating Officer KATHERINE NICHOLLS Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer JOHN P. KUSHNIR Chairman and Director of Photography JEFF GALE Copyright 2014 by Niche Media Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved. Los Angeles Confidential magazine is published eight times per year. Reproduction without permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material, and it will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication subject to Los Angeles Confidential magazine’s right to edit. Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, photographs, and drawings. To order a subscription, please call 866-891-3144. For customer service, please inquire at losangelesconfidential@pubservice.com. To distribute Los Angeles Confidential at your business, please e-mail magazinerequest@nichemediallc.com. Los Angeles Confidential magazine is published by Niche Media Holdings, LLC (Founder, Jason Binn), a company of The Greenspun Corporation. LOS ANGELES CONFIDENTIAL: 8530 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA 90211 T: 310-289-7300 F: 310-289-0444 NICHE MEDIA HOLDINGS: 100 Church Street, Seventh Floor, New York, NY 10007 T: 646-835-5200 F: 212-780-0003 THE GREENSPUN CORPORATION: 2275 Corporate Circle, Suite 300, Henderson, NV 89074 T: 702-259-4023 F: 702-383-1089

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FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Toasting the launch of Canali’s Spring/Summer collection benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital with LAC account director Liz Moore and H’wood’s favorite Family/funny guy, Patrick Warburton.

A spirited chat with fellow Scot/ Scotch-lover Chivas master blender Colin Scott (ABOVE) at the Chivas Regal Royal Salute dinner at The Peninsula; reminiscing with former colleague and onetime Warhol factory mate Kevin Sessums (LEFT) at the Family Issue party for his FourTwoNine magazine at the W Hollywood.

ablaze with art glory these days. In every precinct, seemingly on every corner, we are treated to an endless array of canvas, sculpture, and performance art of the highest order. Art and artists have long thrived in LA (often overshadowed by motion picture artists), but in the past two decades, Los Angeles, with a predilection for what’s hot now (and tomorrow), has increasingly challenged traditional art centers such as New York and Paris. As working artists continue to decamp from crowded, expensive urban centers on the East Coast for the relatively cheap, light-filled, and spacious environs of Los Angeles, foundations of might such as LACMA, MOCA, and the soon-to-be-opened Broad, wrangle in a fascinating internecine war for local—and global—prominence. Amid all the institutional hullabaloo, countless artists—from El Segundo to Eagle Rock, Ojai to Orange County—hole up in studios across Southern California, singly and collectively, on the radar and off, quietly painting, chiseling, and challenging the art-world status quo. Enter the Hammer Museum. This summer, in an audacious second iteration of its showstopping biennial “Made in L.A.” (see page 102), the little museum-that-could is presenting a brilliantly curated Stay up to date with all that’s exhibition of 35 workaday artists, going on in LA at many previously unknown to collecla-confidential-magazine.com. tors and museums, who are at last getting their place in the sun. Unlike the 2012 show, “Made in L.A. 2014” is commandeering the entire Hammer through September 7. It’s a breathtaking array of talent, from two ceramicists who for 50 years have been creating works that would have rocked the ancients of long-ago Greece to a German-born artist and museum founder, whose 13-foot-long exhibition space in Eagle Rock, augustly named the Los Angeles Museum of Art, is challenging the very definition of what “museum” might mean in the 21st century. Ann Philbin, the Hammer’s brainy and charming director, who has quietly overseen the reinvention of her gem of a museum in Westwood (which now has an operating budget larger than that of MOCA), is to be commended for thinking out of the art-world box. In a recent enlightened nod to civic-mindedness, the Hammer charges nothing for admission. Go see this show. Some people dream of being rock stars. I dream of being an artist. Alas, I cannot draw. I’ve been lucky, nonetheless, to have thrived on the periphery of the art world. My grandmother, who lived most of her 98 years in a 200-year-old stone house near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was a prolific local landscape artist of note. She dismissed much of what she created as “amateur”; at her best, however, her delicately executed watercolors showed a mastery of color and scale… poetry. Her more famous cousin, the late Henry McIlhenny, although not an artist himself, was a collector with a most extraordinary eye. A visit to his Rittenhouse Square home in Philadelphia, dripping with an eclectic array of known and should-be-known work, was a treat for all who were invited. Currently I follow with great interest (and a wisp of jealousy) the art doings of one of my dear friends here in LA, Loui Sagastume, who, between surviving/would-be-thriving, manages somehow to indulge his developing talent as an artist. That’s it, isn’t it? People who need to create do so, the exigencies of quotidian struggle be damned. Late at night. Early in the morning. Making things that are beautiful. Or ugly beautiful. It’s something close to religion, as far as I can tell… as previous popes—and Medicis—well understood in less secular times. Let there be art!

SPENCER BECK

LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM

PHOTOGRAPHY BY REZA ALLAH-BAKHSHI (MOORE); LESLIE ROCKITTER (SCOTT); STEVE LUCERO (SESSUMS)

Hot town…summer in the city. Los Angeles is

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FROM THE PUBLISHER

Celebrating LAC’s Women of Influence issue with cover star Robin Wright and Editor-in-Chief Spencer Beck.

ABOVE: ’80s flashback! Backstage with Boy George, Matt Goss, and BAFTA’s Don Haber. LEFT: One point for the Clippers, courtesy of me.

Let’s have an art-to-art talk. If you’re reading this, you’ve already discovered our custom cover by the iconic pop art painter Peter Max, a visual artist who has chronicled more than 50 years of American history. Max and Niche Media have combined forces in a partnership to raise awareness and funds for The Humane Society of the United States. His wife, Mary, and Niche’s own fearless leader, Janie Gale, serve proudly on the organization’s board and helped orchestrate an amazing collection of 10 original artworks by Max, each celebrating one of Niche’s titles around the country. While our summer issues are collectors’ items in their own right, Max has generously donated the original cover paintings to be auctioned off at Charitybuzz to benefit The Stay up to date with all that’s Humane Society, and a limited going on in LA at number of replica signed posters la-confidential-magazine.com. are available for $250 each at humanesociety.org/petermaxart through August 6. As we prepared to unveil this program, it occurred to me that artists are some of the most generous sorts on earth. As proof positive, look at all of the amazing works donated and available on Charitybuzz and similar sites like Paddle8. It’s rare that I attend any philanthropic event without finding original artworks for auction supporting causes of all kinds. It doesn’t matter if an artist has experienced great commercial success like Max or if the artist is just emerging and still rubbing nickels together; this is a group that is deeply passionate and engaged in our communities. In Los Angeles, arguably ground zero for the contemporary art scene, we are blessed to have so many of these wonderful stewards. We hope you’ll enjoy reading about a few of these enormous talents in this, our first annual arts issue. Happy arting,

ALISON MILLER

LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHELSEA LAUREN/GETTY IMAGES (WRIGHT)

Welcoming MOCA Director Philippe Vergne to LA.

MADRID • BARCELONA • MOSCOW • TOKYO • DUBAI • KUALA LUMPUR www.carreraycarrera.com

...WITHOUT WHOM THIS ISSUE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE SUMMER 2014

Brad Swonetz SoCal-based photographer Brad Swonetz appreciates surfing, rock climbing, and traveling when he’s not taking photos of interesting people and places. What was the best part of capturing the artists featured in this year’s Hammer Museum biennial (page 102)? Meeting the

artists and seeing their work. I went to university for sculpture, and I was more than inspired by it all. Everyone in this feature is doing such amazing work, and I can’t wait to see the show. How do you relax your subjects on set?

I am just genuinely interested in people and ask a lot about them while I am shooting. A photo shoot should be a great conversation with some good pictures in between. If you go in to a shoot with only photographs on your mind, you are going to end up with some stiff-looking pictures.

Barbara Guggenheim A lauded art advisor and lecturer with a doctorate in art history, Barbara Guggenheim has written extensively about her field. Residing in Malibu, she commutes between offices in Beverly Hills and New York and travels the world widely, searching for art for clients. For this issue, she gave inside tips on navigating art fairs (page 136).

Alexis Johnson A journalist and editor who has covered the arts in Los Angeles for many years, including most recently as Deputy Editor of Los Angeles Confidential, Alexis Johnson profiled gallery owner Kelsey Lee Offield (page 133) and compiled a guide to buying art for the home (page 134). If you could buy one piece of art what would it be? A piece by Josef Albers.... I love color. What’s most exciting about the LA art scene right now? I love that artists are

exploring facets of their practice that extend beyond the creation of a “typical” artwork. Whether it’s limited-edition jewelry, an edible garden or a dinner, I appreciate that artists continually push the boundaries of the expected. When you want to immerse yourself in art, where do you go? Anywhere and

everywhere! The Hammer Museum, the Getty, MOCA, and LACMA are mainstays, but I also like exploring galleries regularly to see what’s new.

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What is the most unusual piece of art you’ve seen at a fair? The most memorable is probably something by Urs Fischer. What’s something unexpected you learned at an art fair? At a

London Frieze, an artist, Tue Greenfort, interested in ecology, exhibited a condensation machine that collected the breaths of passersby.

Michael Ventre Beachwood Canyon–based writer Michael Ventre has contributed to publications and websites including Variety, Adweek, and NBCnews.com. This month, he wrote about arts funding nonprofit Creative Capital (page 58) and the Beatles’ first show at the Hollywood Bowl (page 64). What’s your best story about the Beatles’ first visit to LA? The Beatles really

wanted to meet Burt Lancaster. They went to his house on Burt’s invitation. Ringo tried to act like a tough-guy cowboy, fooling around. He produced two toy guns and said, “This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.” Unimpressed with the toy guns, Burt later sent Ringo two real guns and a holster.

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Invit ed

THE MONTH’S PRESTIGIOUS EVENTS AND SMARTEST PARTIES

All the Wright Moves LAC HAILS THE WOMEN MAKING WAVES IN TINSELTOWN—INCLUDING HOUSE OF CARDS HOTSHOT AND MAY/JUNE COVER STAR ROBIN WRIGHT. BY KELSEY MARRUJO

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHELSEA LAUREN/GETTY IMAGES AND LESLIE ROCKITTER

Robin Wright

s SoCal’s rays softened on June 4, LA’s fiercest females ignited the rooftop of Sixty Beverly Hills to honor those featured in Los Angeles Confidential’s May/June “Women of Influence” issue. Golden Globe– winning cover star Robin Wright, who recently earned a Critics’ Choice Award nomination for Best Actress in a Drama Series as Claire Underwood in House of Cards, stunned in an allblack ensemble as she chatted with LAC Publisher Alison Miller and Editor-in-Chief Spencer Beck. Joining the entertainment luminaries in attendance—including Universal Television’s Bela Bajaria, screenwriter/producer Melissa Rosenberg, and Relativity Media President of Production Robbie Brenner—was Melanie Brown, former Spice Girl and cofounder of presenting sponsor Toro Ride, a new LA car service that offered guests complimentary lifts to the venue. Chloe Wine Collection, VOSS Water, and Caulfield’s Bar and Dining Room also supported the festivities, refreshing attendees with cool sips and savory bites as they mingled against the twilight backdrop.

LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM

INVITED Melanie Brown and Stephen Belafonte

Barbara Jacobs, Dan Cox, Raissa Cuarto, and Khris Berrios

Robbie Brenner Andy Weil, Beth Klein, Bela Bajaria, Kiersten Robinson, and Stacey Silverman

Melissa Rosenberg Shamim Momin and Laura Hyatt

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHELSEA LAUREN/ GETTY IMAGES AND LESLIE ROCKITTER

Irena Medavoy and Robin Wright

Pamela Robinson Waylynn Lucas

LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM

Pamela Robinson

Carol Schatz

INVITED

Keziah Robinson, Darren Skinner, and Mary Jimenez

Charlie Beck, Britni Soto, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Patti Giggans, Aloe Blacc, Mayor Eric Garcetti, and Maya Jupiter with Paul and Maurice Marciano

Denim Day In LA & USA

LA dwellers donned their favorite jeans on April 23 for the 15th annual Denim Day, coordinated by nonprofit organization Peace Over Violence to raise awareness of sexual assault and show support for its victims. Global lifestyle brand Guess and the Guess Foundation sponsored the campaign, hosting a press conference at the company’s LA headquarters with Paul Marciano, Guess CEO/Guess Foundation president; Maurice Marciano, Guess cofounder and chairman of the board; Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti; Patti Giggans, founder of Denim Day and executive director of Peace Over Violence; Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck; and musicians Aloe Blacc and Maya Jupiter.

Guess and the Guess Foundation donated a combined $100,000 to Peace Over Violence in honor of this year’s Denim Day.

Denim Day—established in response to a rape case that was overturned because the victim was wearing tight jeans—is now a global movement.

Amber Tarshis

Super Saturday Los Angeles

Lacey Chabert

Angelenos shopped for a cause at the West Coast debut of Super Saturday—the philanthropic designer garage sale made famous in the Hamptons. Hosts Rachel Zoe and Molly Sims presided over the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, which featured a private jet courtesy of the Palazzo and Venetian hotels, a family lounge provided by The Honest Company, interactive design bakery by Duff’s Cakemix, and dozens of of designer fashion brands selling discounted wares. All proceeds from the event went to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

Bill and Giuliana Rancic Rachel Zoe

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTY IMAGES (DENIM); LISA ROSE, TONYA WISE, THERESA BOUCHE, GENNA SANDLER, BRIAN DAWLING, KATY WINN, TED CALOROSO, AND JEF HALL (SUPER SATURDAY)

Lisa Rinna and Delilah Hamlin

Violet and Christina Milian Charlotte Ross and Maxwell Ross Goldman

Molly Sims and Brooks Stuber

LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM

INVITED

Connor Cruise

Miranda Cosgrove and Drake Bell Sam Trammell

Esteemed conservation group Oceana kicked off the summer social season with its second annual Nautica Oceana Beach House party at the Marion Davies Guest House in Santa Monica. A sea of celebrity devotees came to show their support for the nonprofit, including Oceana board member Ted Danson and hosts Miranda Cosgrove and Austin Nichols. The lively bash, supported by Nautica and Los Angeles Confidential, featured sets by DJ Connor Cruise and recording artist Drake Bell. Guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and drinks courtesy of Chandon, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Cloudy Bay Vineyards, and Suja Juice, as well as “a fair and honest appraisal” of their appearances by The Bumbys.

Angela Kinsey

The Bumbys

The beachfront soirée fêted Oceana’s ongoing efforts to protect and restore the world’s oceans. Briana Evigan

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Ted Danson, Chloe Bennet, and Austin Nichols

Perrey Reeves

PHOTOGRAPHY BY OCEANA/TOM VICKERS

Nautica Oceana Beach House

INVITED

ASPCA Cocktail Party

Jennifer Blakesley and Jack Quaid

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) toasted its multimillion-dollar commitment to rescue animals in the LA metropolitan area with a cocktail party that rounded up the cause’s biggest advocates in entertainment, fashion, and art. During the event, ASPCA President and CEO Matt Bershadker thanked attendees for their continuing support, and Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Colbie Caillat delighted the crowd with a live performance.

Frances Fisher and Nancy Moonves

Matt Bershadker and Diego Boneta

Colbie Caillat

Katherine Heigl and Hilary Duff

Michael Gladis and Beth Behrs

Nina Kotick and Joyce Ostin

Carlos Rodriguez

Laurie Ziegler

Ashley Kim

Cloudy Bay Wine Tasting

Los Angeles Confidential partnered with Cloudy Bay Vineyards and LA><ART for an evening of alfresco wine and oyster sampling at Rare by Drai’s in West Hollywood. The intimate happy hour, hosted by LAC Publisher Alison Miller and LA><ART Director/Curator Lauri Firstenberg, treated local tastemakers to delicacies prepared by chef Carlos Rodriguez and crisp wines presented by Cloudy Bay’s Ashley Kim.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ST EFANIE KEENAN/ GETTY IMAGES (ASPCA), AND REZA ALLAH-BAKHSHI

Karyn Lovegrove, Ivan Fatovic, Tim Buggs, Lauri Firstenberg, JB Bogulski, Justin Gilanyi, and Ron Handler

Hollie Chamberlain and Paul Zahn LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM 31

INVITED Howie Mandel

David Foster and Garcelle Beauvais

CeeLo Green

Kelly Osbourne

Race to Erase MS Gala

Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler, and Keegan Allen

LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM

Natalie Cole

Nancy Davis with Tommy and Susie Hilfiger

Jack Osbourne and Lisa Stelly

PHOTOGRAPHY BY WIRE IMAGE

Alessandra Ambrosio

Multiple sclerosis is one step closer to eradication, thanks to the 21st annual Race to Erase MS gala, which raised over $1.75 million for Race to Erase MS and its Center Without Walls program: a collaboration of research centers aiming to treat and ultimately find a cure for the disease. During the eveningâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;conceived by Race to Erase MS founder (and MS survivor) Nancy Davis and cosponsored by Los Angeles Confidentialâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;newspaper mogul Dean Singleton received the 2014 Medal of Hope, while music legends CeeLo Green, Natalie Cole, and Steven Tyler treated the crowd to a rousing performance.

INVITED Max Greenfield and Tess Sanchez

James Van Der Beek and Kimberly Brook

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON MERRITT /GETTY IMAGES (CHRYSALIS), LESLIE ROCKITTER

Diane Kruger

Karmin

Katharine McPhee Jordana Brewster

Chrysalis Butterfly Ball

Gavin Rossdale

Notable names from TV, film, and music gathered at the Mandeville Canyon home of Susan Harris and Hayward Kaiser for the 13th Annual Butterfly Ballâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;an event that helps Chrysalis provide povertystricken individuals with the essential tools for gaining employment. Chrysalis founder Jeff Skoll, Participant Media CEO Jim Berk, and United Talent Agency Managing Director Jay Sures received awards during the evening, which was emceed by New Girl star Max Greenfield and featured live music performances from Gavin Rossdale and Karmin.

Susie Kimball and Fiona Canning

LAC and Royal Salute Tastemaker Dinner

David Richard, Thinh Dinh, and Chris Hewes Brian January and Justin Kleineider

Los Angeles Confidential teamed with luxury Scotch whisky collection Royal Salute to host an elegant trilogy pairing dinner at The Peninsula Beverly Hills. Master blender Colin Scott joined LAC Editor-inChief Spencer Beck and an exclusive group of guests, who sampled Scotch blends selected to complement courses such as grilled Pacific swordfish and apricot and pistachio crumble.

Angus McShane, Casey Walsh, Mary Bartlett, and Giovanni Martinez

Colin Scott and Richard Varga Lou and Kathy Pene

LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM

INVITED

Brianne Howey Jennette McCurdy and Jared Eng

Rocsi Diaz

Rose McIver, Vanessa Marano, Lubov Azria, Meaghan Martin, and Ginny Gardner

BCBG 25th Anniversary Party

LA’s fashion crowd flocked to BCBG Max Azria’s Downtown headquarters for the grand opening of “Living the Bon Chic Life,” a retrospective exhibition saluting the group’s 25th anniversary. Limited-edition BCBG Max Azria jackets were available for purchase throughout the party, with proceeds directly benefiting LA’s Best—a nonprofit extracurricular education, enrichment, and recreation program for elementary school children in the city.

Laverne Cox and Kat Graham

Joyce and Max Azria

Lindsey Morgan

“Living the Bon Chic Life” featured memorable Max Azria Atelier designs worn by Halle Berry, Carrie Underwood, Angelina Jolie, and others .

Ellen Page

Ross Mathews

Casper Smart and Jennifer Lopez Rita Moreno and Lupita Nyong’o

Rebecca Gayheart and Eric Dane

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Entertainment A-listers descended upon The Beverly Hilton for the 25th annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles, where a host of film and TV players were recognized for their accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBT community. Honorees included Jennifer Lopez, who received the Vanguard Award for her longtime LGBT advocacy, and transgender actress Laverne Cox (Orange Is the New Black), who accepted the Stephen F. Kolzak Award.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTY IMAGES/ DONATO SARDELLA (BCBG); LESTER COHEN, JASON MERRITT, AND GABRIEL OLSE

GLAAD Media Awards

INVITED Mike and Teresa Fourticq

Mark Johnson and Bobby LaBonge

Arianna, Gerald, and Carla du Manoir Karen Bell, Robb Cox, and Lezlie Johnson

Big Hearts of Summer

The Spazmatics

Westside Children’s Center—a provider of early-education programs, foster care, and adoption services for at-risk children and their families—held its Big Hearts of Summer fundraiser at The Beach Club in Santa Monica. The evening, cochaired by Carla Du Manoir, Jennifer Nordstrom, and Patty Penske, featured dinner, cocktails, and an exuberant performance by ’80s cover band The Spazmatics.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BENJAMIN SHMIKLER AND MICHAEL UNDERWOOD (WESTSIDE); MICHAEL BUCKNER/GETTY IMAGES FOR LACMA AND STEFANIE KEENAN/GETTY IMAGES FOR LACMA

LACMA Collectors Committee Weekend The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) held its 29th annual Collectors Committee fundraiser, acquiring 10 artworks and raising more than $4.1 million for the organization. The weekend-long event kicked off with exclusive dinners by celebrity chefs at the homes of seven LACMA trustees, followed by a presentation of artworks including Mitra Tabrizian’s Tehran 2006 and Antonio de Torres’s Virgin of Guadalupe, all of which were added to the museum’s collection by the end of the festivities. Carole Bayer Sager and Terry Semel

Christina Yu Yu with Marc and Jane Nathanson and Michael Govan

Barbara Guggenheim and Renvy Graves Pittman Katherine Ross and Lynda Resnick Colleen Criste, Ann Colgin, and Suzanne Kayne

Helen Pashgian

LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM

T he List summer 2014

David Richard

Dwyer Kilcollin

Joyce Ostin

Abel Alejandre

Suze Yalof Schwartz

Carol Cheh

Peter Fetterman

John Black

Mark Wystrach

James Crank

Steven Colbert

Shamim Momin

Doc Rivers

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Philippe Vergne

Anna Bauer

Adam Silver

Alexandra Grant

Tim Angelillo

Liz Craft

Stanley Firestone

Rubén Esparza

Scott Cohen

Marjan Sarshar

John Geresi

Ann Philbin

Andrew Kim

Giancarlo Tallarico

Robin McGraw

Margaret O’Leary

Lisa Bonbright

Danny Grunwald

Doug Chrismas

Denis Bloch

Michelle Carla Handel

Lucy Akin

Valerie Kelly

Marvin Putnam

Linus Adolffson

Kenna Florie

Mat Gleason

Cecilia Bonstrom

Edgar Arceneaux

Martine Ilana

Kori Newkirk

Donavan Lucas

Olga Koumoundouros

Al Abayan

Todd Goldstein

Jori Finkel

Pat Javaheri

36 la-confidential-magazine.com

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Vogue hombre: Eugenio López, LA’s greatest collector and most stylish bachelor, gives good art from his home above Beverly Hills.

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Superlatives PEOPLE, CULTURE, TASTE, TREASURES

VIEW FROM THE TOP

Portrait of the Aristo MEXICO CITY SCION-CUM-LA MEGA COLLECTOR EUGENIO LÓPEZ ALONSO MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT CONTEMPORARY ARTS PATRON IN THE COUNTRY. ELI BROAD WHO? BY FINN-OLAF JONES

espite being one of the world’s largest art collectors, one of the savLópez has always been a magnet for interesting people. “We grew up in a iors of LA’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), and the pretty closed circle in Mexico City,” remembers one of his friends. “But he founder of the Museo Jumex, which placed Mexico City in the cross- was flamboyant and wild—the guy who stuck out—and he was able to get hairs of contemporary art when it opened last November—there’s little doubt away with it because he was such a sweetheart to everyone.” that Eugenio López, the sole heir to Latin America’s Grupo Jumex juice Lording it above the city from a 1958 stonewalled midcentury-modern empire, is hardwired for numbers. house isolated by hedges and banana palms, López Date he closed on his house? Price he didn’t pay for a has created an LA base that manages to be both ostenpainting in auction 15 years ago? Ed Ruscha’s birthtatious in its artwork and cool in its presentation. Out in day? This cascade of data comes rolling off in slightly the garden, a pool curves sexily beneath stone lily pads accented English as López, 47, orbits from Warhol like a David Hockney dream. Within, period furniture Brillo box to Basquiat painting and back in his Beverly such as a cowhide-upholstered Arne Jacobsen egg Hills house—always solicitous as he goes into energetic chair provides smart informality amid world-class art. conversational tangents in English and Spanish to the It could be the lair of one of James Bond’s Connery-era perpetual audience of servants, friends, curators, and —EUGENIO LÓPEZ villains, when they still had really good taste. artists who seem to be in hourly rotation at Casa López. “In 2001 a friend of mine showed me the house,“ With his machine-gun restlessness, sparkling eyes, and permanent shy remembers López, in a characteristically numerical anecdote. “It reminded smile, he’s like a groomed Latin version of Martin Short’s Ed Grimley char- me of the sort of place Frank Sinatra or Lana Turner would have lived in the acter. And, like Short, he’s fun. ’60s. The woman who [owned it] was very reluctant to sell. She’d grown up “When I first became a trustee at MOCA, I invited a few people over for here and already turned down two other clients. It turned out our mothers drinks after an opening…. Suddenly, I had 150 guests,” he says with modest had the same birthdate. She said: ‘This is the buyer!’” surprise. “They were crawling over the walls after I shut the gates. It was Having spent his childhood traveling between Mexico City, Paris, and absolutely terrifying!” continued on page 42

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELISABETH CAREN

“I came to LA in 1993 and suddenly had a sensation that I’d lived here before in another life.”

LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM

VIEW FROM THE TOP CLOCKWISE FROM BELOW: Jeff Koons’s Elephant (Yellow), 2004, dominates the lawn of “Casa López”; Museo Jumex in Mexico City; Architect David Chipperfield, López, Rosario Saxe-Coburg, and Patrick Charpenei at the Museo Jumex opening last November.

LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM

—JEFFREY SOROS Chac Mool gallery on Robertson in Beverly Hills, a hot spot for 20th-century Latin American and US art that has since closed. “That became my excuse to come and go to LA,” laughs López. “I got to learn and love the great artists of the ’50s and ’60s.” It was a great time for buying contemporary art, before the mad rush of techies, media stars, and hedge funders brought prices into current nosebleed levels. It took a little convincing to get his father to sink a large part of the Jumex fortune into his new passion, but López points to a behemoth Andreas Gursky photo of Frankfurt Airport dominating one of his living room walls. “When I bought this, it was the most expensive photo in the group and I was a little nervous, but I loved it so much. It has since quadrupled in price. My father was at first accepting [of investing in art]—but now he thinks I’m a genius.” López’s ambitions got even grander in 1997. “In Mexico everyone had Riveras and Kahlos, but never Rauschenbergs, and I said, ‘Why don’t we have a great international collection down here?’” In 2001 the first Museo Jumex opened in one of the company’s factory buildings in a drab Mexico City suburb, leading to a fateful encounter with Philippe Vergne (at the time with the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis), who came to curate an exhibit. Since Vergne was installed as the director of MOCA, the two have been working closely together to bring the museum back on its feet after a tumultuous period, continued on page 44

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELISABETH CAREN (LÓPEZ HOME); STEFANIE KEENAN/GETTYIMAGES FOR MUSEO JUMEX

continued from page 41 the US, López has long considered LA to be his spiritual home. “I’ve always been attached to the city,” he says of his decision to move here. “I came here in 1993 to buy some furniture at Pacific Design Center and I suddenly had a sensation that I’d lived here before in another life.” “Eugenio, like so many Latin Americans, didn’t swallow the KoolAid that New York was the center of the avant-garde,” remembers Ray Smith, the prominent Mexican American artist who befriended López in the ’80s. “For many of us, the California scene was more happening—you had guys like Ed Ruscha and David Hockney. New York represents art as suffering. LA is outdoor, fun, it’s the ’hood, it’s the American dream.” When López arrived in LA, he couldn’t have been more distant from the discretely churning wheels of the city’s art scene on which he would have such a fateful impact. He had just graduated from business school and was learning the ropes as Jumex’s marketing director in Mexico. “My real talent was not for business. I was working with my father in a very conservative circle,” he says. A chance encounter with high-powered dealer Esthella Provas at a Beverly Hills gallery inspired him to switch gears from nectar and juice to Nara and Judd. “I’ll never forget my first auction,” says López. “It was a Sotheby’s night sale. When I got to the room, I saw the screens and people and auctioneer and I froze. I’d never studied art before. But I became obsessive about learning.” He was an uncannily apt pupil, eventually opening with Provas the

“There’s no question Eugenio was vital in rescuing MOCA. He led by example.”

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VIEW FROM THE TOP

Aqui Bacardi, a 1986 painting by artist Jeff Koons, presides over one end of the living room in López’s art-filled Midcentury-Modmeets-James Bond bachelor pad.

LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM

A MEXICAN MEDICI… …collects his thoughts about LA. *on his intro to los angeles: There was a restaurant that my father liked called Da Vinci on Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills. There was a fire there and the owner needed partners to invest in the relaunch. My father came with the money so he had an excuse to come to LA. We ended up having every one of our meals there when we were visiting.

*favorite hangs: I love to go to Giorgio Baldi and Matsuhisa—the original one in Beverly Hills. I’m also fond of Chateau Marmont, though it can sometimes be a little precious. For drinks, I love the Skybar in the Mondrian hotel at 6 or 7 at night, right before sunset.

*top art spots (other than moca and jumex): LACMA, of course. But I also like the Pasadena Museum of California Art. And then there’s The Menil Collection in Houston—a city I think gets quite overlooked as a great center for contemporary art.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELISABETH CAREN (LÓPEZ AT HOME)

continued from page 42 which included the sudden firing of Vergne’s predecessor, the mass resignation of trustees, and the prospect of the institution going broke. López was made cochair of MOCA’s fundraising campaign and subsequently raised an astronomical $100 million—$20 million more than the original goal. Within 10 months one of LA’s premiere art centers went from teetering on the edge of oblivion to securing a long-term future. “There’s no question he was vital in rescuing MOCA,” says the museum’s board president emeritus, Jeffrey Soros. “He led by example.” Last November capped López’s lightning art career, with the opening of the new Jumex museum in Mexico City, designed by English starchitect David Chipperfield. Selections from the López collection, including Jeff Koons, Olafur Eliasson (for whom López was an early patron), and Mexican artists including Abraham Cruzvillegas and Mario García Torres are exhibited in the natural light that streams through the museum’s signature saw-tooth roof. A work by the late Although López’s museum minimizes shadows, expect to see his own shadow Spanish painter growing even taller in SoCal with the second “Pacific Standard Time” citywide Antoni Tàpies is displayed next to blockbuster exhibits opening in 2017, emphasizing the artistic connections between bookshelves in López’s study. LA and Latin America for which López is destined to be a vital link. And even though he has amassed 2,700 works of art, López is still collecting. “My collecting is changing, because now I have to make choices based on what I want to leave as a legacy, rather than what I like. For instance, video art—I’m not really a fan of that, but we buy it because we know it reflects contemporary tastes. A hundred years from now, when none of us are here, people will know what our reality was.” And the nexus for that reality, at least in terms of contemporary art, has certainly shifted toward Southern California during López’s short tenure as its most prolific collector. “I think it’s hard to say whether he has changed LA’s art scene or LA’s art scene has changed him,” says Jeffrey Soros. “The two are so intertwined.” LAC

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Golden Boys AVANT GUARDIAN ANGELS/DEVILS/DESIGNERS THE HAAS BROTHERS HAVE DONE GAGA, VERSACE… AND NOW, THE NEW ACE HOTEL DOWNTOWN. BY BRITT COLLINS

ince their show-stealing debut at Art Basel last year with a line of outrageously outré furniture, design duo (and fraternal twins) Nikolai and Simon Haas have become stars of the international art scene—a glitzy culmination of years spent tinkering in their family’s Austin, Texas, backyard. “Our parents were eccentric, collecting and making all sorts of crazy things,” Simon says of his screenwriter mother and stonemason father. “Niki and I have been building stuff our whole lives.” Almost 30, the Haases are now being courted to build stuff for some of the world’s most coveted creatives, spinning art into serious cash via fashion/art/furniture collaborations with the likes of Versace, decorator Peter Marino and, most recently, LA’s newly opened Ace Hotel. From their industrial studio on the edge of Downtown, they’ve created everything from S&M masks and angel wings for Lady Gaga to black leather bondage chairs and surreal furniture with carved horns and cloven feet (sold chiefly through their own company as well as NY-based R & Company gallery). “Everything is highly sexually charged,”

you want or believe in, you exceed expectations.” The twins, whose older brother is actor Lukas Haas, attribute their success to the encouraging spirit of LA. Case in point: Just a few years ago, Simon (a painter) was cooking in Echo Park vegan restaurant Elf Café when he met Roman Alonso, creative director of interior design firm Commune, who invited the brothers to draw murals for the yet-to-be-opened Ace Hotel. After opening a workshop out of Simon’s apartment, they started making furniture, swiftly getting word-of-mouth commissions from the likes of Tobey Maguire, Mario Testino, and Donatella Versace. Perhaps most importantly, the pair is char—NIKOLAI HAAS ismatic and enterprising in a city that’s The brothers stumbled into furniture design via teeming with hustlers. “I don’t know how we fell music. Shy and soft-spoken, Simon studied art and into this, but suddenly we have an opportunity architecture at Rhode Island School of Design to communicate with the world, and we have a before dropping out to join Nikolai in Los Angeles lot of positive things to say,” says Nikolai with and play in Vincent Gallo’s noise band. “We had mesmerizing, rapid-fire enthusiasm. “It’s helpful nothing to offer,” Nikolai laughs in wonder, but the that LA doesn’t have much history,” adds Simon, group’s demise instilled fearlessness. “As soon as smiling. “[LA] is undeniably the next art city you let go of your inhibitions and start doing what having its moment.” LAC says Nikolai, a buff, confident guy with long hair and lots of tattoos, as he shows off a capsule collection of furniture and light fixtures that wouldn’t look out of place in an Amsterdam peep show. The goods are being developed for an upcoming Art Basel installation called “The Sex Room.” “It’s based on openness, not about infidelity, but the boundaries.”

“As soon as you let go of your inhibitions and start doing what you want or believe in, you exceed expectations.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRAD SWONETZ

Gilt-y pleasures: Out of their bunkerlike Downtown studio, the Haas twins (Simon, LEFT; Nikolai, RIGHT) craft sinfully sumptuous furniture and objets for an international A-list crowd.

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TALENT PATROL A buzz cut above: Actress Karen Gillan takes an evil turn as the villainess Nebula in this summer’s box-office biggie Guardians of the Galaxy and hams it up in the ABC sitcom Selfie this fall.

Raised in Inverness in the Scottish Highlands (she now calls West Hollywood home when she’s in the US), the young Gillan was always enamored of the arts. “I started taking acting classes when I was around 13,” she says. “I was just obsessed with it. I would take them every night after school.” Her mother, Marie, who works in a supermarket, and father, John, who aids people with learning disabilities, are not performers themselves but were always very supportive. “They’ve never shown any sort of doubt about me going into this profession,” Gillan On perfecting says. “[And] if your parents never show her Valley Girl accent: “I went doubt, you never do yourself, and that’s probto SoulCycle ably the best thing they’ve given me.” classes!” By the time Gillan was 15, her dedication “Tricks” of the appeared to have paid off: She was accepted trade: “I love into acting school in London. But family The Magic Castle. finances proved too tight, and she had to I’m obsessed decline the offer. “I remember going around, with magic, so it’s perfect for me.” trying to raise money,” she says. “But I Top bite: couldn’t afford to go. I was devastated.” Two “The sushi in years later, when she was old enough to apply LA is unmatched. for student loans, Gillan moved back to Sushi Park on London for school and landed her first gig Sunset makes the mere months later. best; it just melts in your mouth.” While a turn on Doctor Who has made her a familiar face in England, this summer’s starring role in Guardians and the lead in ABC’s fall comedy, Selfie, are set to thrust the actress into the American limelight. And, in what seems to be a theme in Gillan’s career, her role of Nebula, the evil alien antagonist to the Avengers, required serious sacrifices. “My agent called and said, ‘They’re looking for someone to play this role. Are you willing to shave your head?’” she recalls. “I said, ‘Sure,’ thinking it wouldn’t happen because it’s Marvel!” Three auditions and a screen test later, the controversial buzz cut was hers. In addition, Gillan spent months learning basic martial arts training as well as choreographed fight scenes, SCOTS-BORN KAREN GILLAN BREAKS OUT IN many of which were shot with costar Zoë Saldana. MARVEL’S MEGA-BONNIE BLOCKBUSTER GUARDIANS “[The role] was exactly the extreme sort of thing I was OF THE GALAXY THIS AUGUST. BY JULIET IZON looking for,” she says. “To transform for a role was really appealing.” Morphing herself into characters is one aspect of actou can’t help but love Karen Gillan. With her fiery red hair, dimples, ing that has always fascinated Gillan: “I’d be a psychologist if I weren’t and delightful Scottish brogue, you may find yourself rooting for her acting,” she says. “Human behavior is so interesting to me. I feel like [as an character even when she’s playing a villain (as she does in this August’s actor] you can examine it because you’re emulating it.” As for her next project? Gillan is open to anything, with one caveat: release of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy). And learning how fiercely the “Something different from all the other things I’ve done,” she laughs. LAC actress has fought for her success only makes her more appealing.

Hollywood and Highlander

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Miracle Worker FASHION-MEETS-ARTINSIDER DES KOHAN GIVES A TOUR DE FORCE OF LA’S MIRACLE MILE. AS TOLD TO JEN JONES DONATELLI

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On a table inside Des Kohan’s eponymous store off Wilshire Boulevard, a lush miniature kumquat tree sits amid blooming terrariums and dainty Gabriela Artigas jewelry—a topiary that Kohan says reminds her of her idyllic upbringing in Benedict Canyon. “I moved here from Iran when I was 3 years old,” says Kohan. “Even though I wasn’t born here, I definitely consider myself an Angeleno. LA is the only home I know.” And LA’s Miracle Mile has certainly helped shape her affinity for the city, as home to both Wilshire Beauty (a business that has been in her family for decades) and her own influential shop, which has helped launch the careers of LA womenswear designers like CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund finalist Juan Carlos Obando, Soyer’s Soyun Shin, and 194t’s (a riff on the pronunciation of 1940s) Linda Monaskanian. “The Miracle Mile is a pocket of LA that is so rich in history and architecture,” says Kohan. “If you’re a native Angeleno, it feels like the part of LA that represents you.”

hen I opened Des Kohan in 2005, I knew I didn’t want it to be on a commercial retail street. The types of designers we carry are more underground—it doesn’t make sense for me to be on a “shopping street.” I’d prefer to be more of a destination, where people search for us. It felt natural for us to be on Museum Row, because we display our items as if we were an art gallery or museum. When clients come in, we don’t just assume they’re there to shop; instead, we introduce them to the designers, the history, the fit, and the other aspects of the clothing. The Miracle Mile has always played a prominent role in my life for as long as I can remember. While I was growing up, my dad ran Wilshire Beauty. I used to drive to work with him and walk around the neighborhood. That’s when I discovered all of the art galleries and became obsessed with the Art Deco buildings up and down Wilshire (like the old May Company continued on page 52

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELISSA VALLADARES (KOHAN); VALENE MACON/GETTY IMAGES (MARQUEE)

Mile-style club: Des Kohan at her gallerylike fashion emporium; the marquee of the El Rey Theatre, Wilshire Boulevard’s iconic Art Deco palace for live music.

NATIVE

continued from page 50 building). Exploring the neighborhood during my youth was the way I fell in love with the area. Many of those elements are still alive and well. For instance, the El Rey [Theatre] is an Art-Deco building that was once a movie theater and became somewhat of a secret venue for lots of great concerts and impromptu events. As a teen, I remember watching my friend Jenny Lewis [of Rilo Kiley] perform, and seeing Johnny Depp get onstage and jam with whatever band was performing. It’s also been amazing to watch LACMA grow and thrive—from the summer jazz nights to the addition of Ray’s and Stark Bar. Every decade of my life has somehow revolved around the museum in one way or another, from attending summer camp at the La Brea Tar Pits as a kid to now walking in the park with my baby. The Pavilion for Japanese Art [at LACMA] is also a little-known gem; LACMA has such a presence that the Pavilion can often be overshadowed. What I love most is the Frank Lloyd Wright–influenced organic design. Even the furniture inside is reminiscent of the organic modernism that inspires me. All of the artwork and the way it’s displayed through shoji screens is very special. It’s all illuminated naturally, which is how I believe art should be seen. (I feel the same way about clothing, which is why I designed my storefront to let in lots of natural light.)

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My store also reflects my love of architecture— I want clients to be inspired by their surroundings, for [our location] to mean something, as opposed to just being on Melrose or Robertson. You also see it in the shapes of the clothing; I’m very attracted to designers who are inspired by architecture, like Hussein Chalayan and Viktor & Rolf. When Viktor [Horsting] & Rolf [Snoeren] first visited my store, they commented on how the residential buildings on Cloverdale reminded them of Cuba with their Spanish Deco feel. They fell in love with the neighborhood the same way I did. And there’s still so much potential. During the 1920s and ’30s, the area of Wilshire between Fairfax and La Brea became highly developed with theaters, department stores, and cafés; it was [akin to what is now] Rodeo Drive. I feel like that energy is coming back again. For instance, the opening of [restaurant] République, where I go a lot with my clients. Another one of my favorites, La Brea Bakery, just reopened in a new space; it originated on the Miracle Mile and it’s still here 25 years later. I’m happy to see the growth because I came nine years ago when it was desolate and there was nothing around me. Now I have art galleries asking me which space to take! My brother took over ownership of Wilshire Beauty five years ago, and both he and I believe

Des Kohan (671 S. Cloverdale Ave., 323-857-0200; deskohan.com) El Rey Theatre (5515 Wilshire Blvd., 323-936-6400; theelrey.com) Pavilion for Japanese Art at LACMA (5905 Wilshire Blvd., 323-857-6000; lacma.org/art/ collection/japanese-art) La Brea Bakery (468 S. La Brea Ave., 323-939-6813; labrea bakery.com) La Brea Tar Pits (5801 Wilshire Blvd., 323-857-6300; tarpits.org) République (624 S. La Brea Ave., 310-362-6115; republiquela.com) Wilshire Beauty (5401 Wilshire Blvd., 323-937-2001; wilshire beauty.com)

in the Miracle Mile and what it stands for. Inside Wilshire Beauty, I’ve seen everyone from Rihanna and celebrity stylists to the local barber. That’s what I love about “destination stores”— they bring in both artists and the neighborhood. Like so many places in this area, it’s something that’s sought after versus stumbling upon it because you’re at the coffee shop next door. And that’s the essence of the Miracle Mile: It’s such a special part of LA. LAC

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELISSA VALLADARES (KOHAN); RYAN TAANAKA (REPUBLIQUE), RYAN MILLER (TAR PITS)

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Des Kohan at the Frank Lloyd Wright–influenced Japanese Pavilion at LACMA; restaurant du jour République is injecting new life into the Miracle Mile district; the museum at the La Brea Tar Pits offers a glimpse of LA’s Ice Age past.

WORTH YOUR WHILE ON THE MILE

THE ARBITER

Shep Forward

Mensch of the year: At first averse to the idea of filming his life story, Shep Gordon relented only when caught off guard—in his hospital bed—by friend and director Mike Myers.

INFAMOUS TALENT MANAGER-TURNEDBUDDHIST CHEF SHEP GORDON IS THE SUBJECT OF A NEW MIKE MYERS DOCUMENTARY. HERE, HE TELLS SOME OF THE STORIES THAT DIDN’T MAKE IT INTO SUPERMENSCH. BY NADINE SCHIFF-ROSEN

Los Angeles Confidential: How did you meet Mike Myers? Shep Gordon: We met on Wayne’s World back in ’92, and again in Hawaii. I love to cook and I love telling stories. Someone would say, “The Dalai Lama was in Gordon and Myers (RIGHT) at the Supermensch LA,” and I’d say, “Oh, I cooked for him,” and Mike premiere at South by Southwest 2014; an would say, “You’re kidding me! Tell me the story.” appropriately psychedelic poster for the documentary (ABOVE). And it just became this funny relationship. He’d call me up and say, “Can I come over, and you’ll tell me a story?” It was like CSI or something. His story was so concerned about everything How did telling stories turn into a documentary? being perfect. He’s compassionate but exact in his work. Mike asked if he could make a movie about me, and I said no for many years. I How does it feel to have the houselights shining on you? didn’t really see the point. Then I had some surgery, and he called me in the It’s a little… weird… to have something like Superman associated with hospital when I was heavily medicated, and I said yes. [Laughs] Shep Gordon. It’s so out of my wheelhouse, and it was a little embarrassing How is Mike Myers as a director? for me for quite a while. But to see and hear the reaction of people has really Amazingly detail-oriented. I remember walking into his apartment, and I got been amazing. scared because the entire apartment was my life—photos everywhere, my Like what? grandmother, my house…. Some people say that seeing it makes them want to be more generous. And Like a serial killer? continued on page 56

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY LARRY BUSACCA/GETTY IMAGES FOR THE 2014 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL (GORDON); MICHAEL BUCKNER/GETTY IMAGES FOR SXSW (MEYERS)

hep Gordon is the outrageous Hollywood insider, the compassionate music manager with the Midas touch. After a chance encounter with Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix in the late ’60s, he went on to transform acts such as Alice Cooper, Teddy Pendergrass, and even Anne Murray from (mostly) conventional performers into celebrity megastars. With stunts that included packaging an album in paper panties and once hurling a live chicken onstage, Gordon’s reputation as a genius bad boy eventually became as renowned as the talent he was managing—but at a cost. This June, he takes center stage as the subject of Mike Myers’s documentary debut, Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon. With narrative provided by Gordon’s posse—Michael Douglas, Tom Arnold, Willie Nelson, Emeril Lagasse, Sylvester Stallone, and Steven Tyler—Myers blends photographs and archival footage with Gordon’s unique flair as a raconteur to take us through his journey from hedonistic worshipper of sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll to evolved JuBu ( Jewish Buddhist) who’s brewed Tibetan yak butter tea for the Dalai Lama. Along the way, Gordon, now 66, plays out his favorite roles as an adoptive father, generous host, and loyal friend who has still never let go of a lifelong yearning for a child of his own.

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THE ARBITER

continued from page 54 then some people say, “I really want to go and adopt some kids.” Mike really made something that touches people. You turned Alice Cooper into a superstar and then went on to Anne Murray. How does that work? It’s really all the same, what I do. Annie was the farthest thing from Alice that I could get. Her problem was that her image was very straight when everyone wanted to be cool. So my job was to make her cool because she had the chops. You’ve been Alice Cooper’s manager for 46 years. Is it true you’ve never had a contract? We still don’t have one. Creatively, a lot of times we disagree. Politically, we’re very different. But I don’t think there’s ever been a moment when we’ve raised our voices at each other, or in any way had a lack of respect for each other, never a second. You went on to manage Teddy Pendergrass and brand his sexuality for all-women audiences. Is it true you were the one who had to tell him he would never walk again after his car accident? It’s a story that’s unbelievably touching. It was one of the toughest things I ever had to do. Every once in a while, I get a tear in my eye when I watch him on a video. I definitely miss him. Did you ever feel you wanted out? I never felt that way. I felt I needed to save myself, but not by backing away. I had too much of everything, excess in every category: weight, drugs, women. It was many years later when I woke up one day and decided I didn’t want to be in any business. I wanted to be in the Shep business and see where that led me. And then you went to Maui and learned to cook; cook for real. I went to cooking school and studied with the great Roger Vergé. I was very happy with the choice I made. Now, everyone comes to Maui… and it’s free meals. You came out of semiretirement to turn chefs (like Emeril Lagasse) into celebrities. I saw in the chef circuit the same thing that I experienced in the black music circuit. They were artists who weren’t businessmen who had been manipulated into believing that they had to provide their art for free. I sorta knew how to organize and elevate them from cooks to culinary artists, and it worked. It worked big time. And now tell me how you became involved with the Dalai Lama. I got really lucky. I got taken to see His Holiness when I got back to Hawaii, and

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I made an offering to feed him, and they said yes. In Trinidad and in New York. I got to do it three times, which was truly amazing. What’s the greatest thing you learned from him? I think what he provides more than anything is that he’s a light that allows you to become those things you want to be in his presence. You were in Hawaii and you had a sudden brush with death. In the documentary, your assistant says you woke up and she could tell you felt bad that she was the only person there to hold your hand. How did it feel to see and hear that? Very true. I realized that I sort of moved the journey of my life into corners that hadn’t been shared. I have my family, but I’ve never really developed a “family.” You can’t get everything in life. You do the best you can do. You selected your family in a way. You adopted the grandchildren of a former girlfriend. I think chance threw us together. I love them all. The little baby you saw in the documentary is going to be walking the red carpet with me. Michael Douglas, who provided great narrative about you, says that you love the ladies, Sharon Stone, in particular. Is that true? Very true. We had a great ride for about three years. So that is true? Yeah. So what’s next for you? I never know what’s next. If you follow the documentary, it’s all, you know, you’re Jewish; you’re a manager. Great. It’s whatever. I have no clue. [Laughs] LAC

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF RADIUS-TWC (COOPER, GORDON); RANDALL MICHELSON/WIRE IMAGE (BRODY)

CLOCKWISE FROM BELOW LEFT: In stills from Supermensch, Shep Gordon with longtime client and friend Alice Cooper in 1977 and chilling in Maui that same year; with pals Adrien Brody, Cooper, and Clint Eastwood in Hawaii in 2002.

IMAGE COURTESY OF JULIAN SCHNABEL

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A Capital Idea WARHOL FOUNDATION FAVE CREATIVE CAPITAL HELPS ARTISTS MAKE $$. ANDY WOULD HAVE APPROVED…. BY MICHAEL VENTRE

he term “creative capital” suggests images of fat cats in pin-striped suits smoking cigars and planning the next killing they’re going to make in the investment game. But in the case of the actual philanthropic organization that bears the Creative Capital moniker, a few alterations are needed. Instead of fat cats, insert art lovers. Strip off the pin-striped suits and replace with… whatever. Indeed, Creative Capital’s cultural investments are turning into gold, but not the kind whose price fluctuates on the market. And while any mention of investment naturally triggers associations with Wall Street and NYC, many of those receiving grants hail from the artistic incubator that is LA. Creative Capital supports artists by using venture-capital principles. Each year it sorts through applications from creative types in a wide variety of art disciplines and hands out grants of up to $50,000 in direct funding. But it doesn’t cut ties as soon as the check clears. Instead, Creative Capital provides development services and support, working with artists over a period of months—even years—to ensure that they can attain their visions. “We’re interested in helping people build sustainable careers,” notes Ruby

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

Lerner, president and executive director of Creative Capital, which was born in 1999. “We want people to be comfortable doing PR, marketing, fundraising, and talking about their work. We do hands-on training around those issues.” Before the genesis of Creative Capital, Lerner had been working for an organization that helped independent film and video makers. In the mid to late ’90s, when politics forced the National Endowment for the Arts to stop funding individual artists, a need was created. Thanks to generous assistance from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Creative Capital blossomed. The Warhol folks continue to provide half of Creative Capital’s $3 million in yearly funding, the other half coming from private donations and small foundations. Jeffrey Soros is an LA-based board member with a background in screenwriting and producing who says the organization’s approach to finding the most worthy grantees is to “cast as broad a net as possible.” “Our mix of geography and discipline is pretty robust in terms of diversity,” he explains. “We’ve developed a reputation for championing works that push the envelope. That’s why we’re in business.” continued on page 60

Daniel Roumain, winner of Creative Capital’s 2002 Performance Arts Award, and Dread Scott, 2001 Visual Arts awardee, at the 2013 Creative Capital benefit and auction; still from CC’s 2013 Performing Arts Award winner Miwa Matreyek’s This World Made Itself; Creative Capital board member and gallerist Ronald Feldman with a stereoscopic viewer made by artist Eve Sussman for the organization’s 2012 benefit; Edge of Twilight 5, 2010, by Connie Samaras, 2012 Visual Arts Award winner; still from 2006 Performing Arts awardee Kristina Wong’s Going Green the Wong Way; Heizer Detroit City Complex, 2014, by Edgar Arceneaux, CC’s 2005 Visual Arts Award winner.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY GULSHAN KIRAT (ROUMAIN, FELDMAN); COURTESY OF MIWA MATREYEK (THIS WORLD MADE ITSELF); CONNIE SAMARAS (EDGE OF TWILIGHT 5); KRISTINA WONG (GOING GREEN THE WONG WAY ); EDGAR ARCENEAUX AND SUSANNE VIELMETTER LOS ANGELES PROJECTS (HEIZER DETROIT CITY COMPLEX)

SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY

Charity Regist er OPPORTUNITIES TO GIVE.

continued from page 58 Local artist Edgar Arceneaux, who was also cofounder of the nonprofit redevelopment organization Watts House Project, received a grant from Creative Capital about 10 years ago—and it led to a work called Philosophy of Time Travel, which involved a 45-foot column crashing through a floor. The project lasted for four years, but the association continues today. “The support they gave me was pretty extraordinary,” says Arceneaux, whose work has appeared at MOCA and at the Hammer Museum. “It’s not like, ‘Here’s some money, go do a project.’ They operate like producers. They’re there to help you think about the marketing of the piece and how to elicit other funders. They offer different levels of critical expertise.” Kristina Wong is a performance artist who graduated from UCLA in 2000 with an English lit degree. She says she was living “hand-to-mouth” in Koreatown when she was awarded a grant from Creative Capital, which not only enabled her to produce a show called Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, but also helped her meet others through seminars. “That was the best rope I could have been thrown,” says Wong. “Not just the financial amount, but meeting presenters who could bring me to their theaters and network with high-caliber artists from all over the country whom I wouldn’t have met otherwise.” New grantees David Burns and Austin Young of Fallen Fruit are currently immersed in a project called Endless Orchard, which involves the planting of fruit trees in the LA area. “What this inspired us to do,” Young says, “was think bigger.” Thus, the duo is now working with LA County in an effort to plant as many trees as it can across public lands. In this past application cycle, Lerner says Creative Capital received 3,700 proposals that were whittled down to 46. That pool of applicants includes artists from all over the country, although she adds that LA and New York are especially teeming with aspirants. While the organization is headquartered in a “fabulous new office” in the Big Apple, there is always a chance of expansion to LA. “We certainly have a large artist presence on the West Coast, about 75 artists in the area. We also have worked with a similar number of curators and proRuby Lerner, grammers. We have a big representation president and executive in the area.” Even so, she says, “We’d director of like to have even more of a presence.” Creative Capital. creative-capital.org LAC

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What: For the 40th year running, the Concern Foundation is raising cash for cancer research with a rollicking party at Paramount Studios. Expect bites from the likes of Tavern and The Grill on the Alley, live music, a luxury auction, and an awards ceremony honoring real estate company Partners Trust and actress/designer Jaclyn Smith. When: Saturday, July 12 Where: Paramount Studios, 5555 Melrose Ave., Hollywood Website: concernfoundation.org

ISRAEL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA BENEFIT GALA

What: The American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is honoring Oscarwinning film composer Hans Zimmer with a Lifetime Achievement Award—an event that will include a Wolfgang Puck dinner and a Maestro Zubin Mehta-led program of Zimmer’s works. Proceeds benefit the orchestra and its education programs.

When: Wednesday, July 16 Where: Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills Website: afipo.org/events/los-angeles-benefit-2014

CELEBRATION OF DANCE GALA What: Get up and boogie! Created by producer Nigel Lythgoe and director Adam Shankman, The Dizzy Feet Foundation’s annual gala aims to improve access to dance education across the US. A blacktie dinner kicks off with performances from the stars of So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars, the American Ballet Theatre, and more. When: Saturday, July 19 Where: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., LA Website: dizzyfeetfoundation.org/gala

TASTE OF SUMMER

What: At the Fulfillment Fund’s annual Taste of Summer festival, guests will eat and drink their way through a variety of top-tier vendors—including Wood & Vine, Sam’s by the Beach, and more—while helping children in underresourced communities go to college. When: Saturday, July 26 Where: The Victorian, 2640 Main St., Santa Monica Website: fulfillmentfund.org/tasteofsummer

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY CREATIVE CAPITAL (FRUITIQUE); CAROLYN LAMBERT (LERNER); JESSE GRANT/WIRE IMAGE (CELEBRATION OF DANCE GALA)

Work created by 2013 Creative Capital Emerging Fields awardee Fallen Fruit, an art collaboration cofounded by artists David Burns and Austin Young, for its Westwood Village retail store, Fruitique!

CONCERN FOUNDATION BLOCK PARTY

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Can you hear me now? On August 23, 1964, the Beatles first played the Hollywood Bowl— although “the eternal shriek from 17,000 healthy, young lungs” made their 25-minute set virtually inaudible.

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Culture HOTTEST TICKET

Fab Forever DAVE STEWART OF THE EURYTHMICS HEADS UP THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL’S ALL-STAR TRIBUTE TO MARK THE BEATLES’ BIG 5-0…AND THAT LEGENDARY FIRST LA CONCERT. BY MICHAEL VENTRE

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE MUSIC CENTER ARCHIVES/OTTO ROTHSCHILD COLLECTION

was then a local disc jockey for KRLA. “They hen they visited Los Angeles for the wanted to play the Hollywood Bowl because it first time in the summer of 1964, the was the premier place. It still is.” Tickets for the Beatles went to the Whiskey A Go show ranged from $3 to $7, he recalls. They Go, where George Harrison hurled a glass full were only available at two outlets: the Bowl box of water at an annoying photographer and office, and the Automobile Club of Southern instead soaked actress Mamie Van Doren, who California. The event sold out in three and a happened to be walking by. They attended a half hours, Eubanks says, which was lightning party in their honor at the Brentwood home of speed in pre-Internet days. the mother-in-law of then-Capitol Records “I happen to think the Hollywood Bowl conhead Alan Livingston, where well-heeled parcert in ’64, next to Woodstock, is probably the ents paid $25 a pop (the money went to charity) most famous concert of all time,” Eubanks to have their kids meet the lads, and where adds. “That’s my personal opinion.” stars like John Forsythe, Edward G. Robinson, While other acts of the day, like Frank Groucho Marx, Rock Hudson, and Jack Benny Sinatra and Judy Garland, were commanding joined the mop-top madness. $10,000 to $15,000 per show, Eubanks says he But the single most important event of their and his business partner at the time had to stay in LA—the one that leaps off the tip of every take a loan out against a piece of property they music-obsessed tongue whenever that time and owned in order to meet the terms set down by place and those Liverpudlians are mentioned— Beatles manager Brian Epstein: $25,000, plus was their concert at the Hollywood Bowl. And 60 percent of anything over $40,000 at the box on August 22, 23, and 24, the Bowl will observe office. But, as many years of raves would attest, the 50th anniversary of that seismic happening it was worth it. with an equally seismic tribute. Dave Stewart of Debra Rittmiller, a lifelong resident of the Eurythmics, an über-Beatles fan, will serve as Burbank, was 12 in 1964. She not only attended ringmaster and musical director. that show, she went to another Beatles concert “I’ve heard many stories from George, Ringo, in 1966, at Dodger Stadium. “I saw them on and Paul about their experiences in the USA TV,” she remembers. “I bought their records. back in 1964, but the news footage of the Total Beatlemania. I’d get together with my Hollywood Bowl remains embedded in my girlfriends, play their records, and scream. We mind,” recalls Stewart, who was a close friend of —DAVE STEWART went to see A Hard Day’s Night and we screamed Harrison. “Olivia Harrison [George’s wife, who in the theater. At the [Bowl] we were way in the told Stewart she was at the Bowl, although she and George would not meet until years later] just recounted to me how crazy it back. You couldn’t hear them sing at all. Everybody was screaming. We was: ‘Girls jumping into the pond at the front and swimming to the stage, limos had binoculars. It was fantastic.” In The Beatles Anthology, John Lennon said about that show: “The Hollywood with the roof squashed and windows gone, total hysteria.’” The Beatles first played the Bowl on August 23, 1964 (they returned to the Bowl was marvelous. It was the one we all enjoyed most, I think, even though it Bowl the following year and played two nights there). As their shows went, wasn’t the largest crowd—because it seemed so important, and everybody was it was typical. They opened with “Twist and Shout,” played 11 more songs to saying things. We got on, and it was a big stage, and it was great.” Neither Stewart nor Johanna Rees, presentations director for the Bowl, will the sellout crowd of 18,700, closed with “Long Tall Sally,” and left after about a 25-minute set. As usual, the Beatles had difficulty hearing them- reveal any secrets about what they have planned for the anniversary festivities. selves sing or play. That concert was recorded to become a live album But given the subject matter, it’s a no-brainer that a fab time will be had by all. (released much later, in 1977), although their producer, George Martin, “It’s fun to work on a show where every song is a great song,” Rees says. And at later lamented, “the eternal shriek from 17,000 healthy, young lungs made the Hollywood Bowl, no less. “When I leave town and I tell people [I work for the Bowl], they say, ‘Oh, where the Beatles played,’” Rees explains. “For people even a jet plane inaudible.” Yet that concert was historic, primarily because the Beatles themselves who have never been to LA, the Hollywood Bowl is famous. The Beatles’ considered it so. “That’s the only place they wanted to play,” says radio and appearance cemented it in people’s heads. They go together.” The Beatles’ 50th television personality Bob Eubanks, the promoter of that original show, who at the Bowl, August 22–24, 323-850-2000; hollywoodbowl.com LAC

“Olivia Harrison recounted to me how crazy it was: ‘Girls jumping into the pond at the front and swimming to the stage, limos with the roof squashed, total hysteria.’”

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ART FULL

LA-based artist Alex Israel’s Self-portraits at Isbrytaren, 2013, produced by Carl Kostyál, is representative of the work Israel will show at Beijing’s Ullens Center for Contemporary Art this fall.

The China Syndrome WEST MEETS EAST AS LA ARTISTS PREPARE TO TAKE CHINA BY STORM. BEIJING, HERE WE COME!

f you stop and think about it—if you put aside, just for a moment, the relatively complex historiography and the multifaceted socio-political context—the connections between Los Angeles and Beijing are relatively fundamental: Both cities, let’s face it, are known for having pretty bad air and pretty bad traffic. Such rudimentary similarities between the cities haven’t gone unnoticed by American-born Philip Tinari, director of the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) in Beijing, who this fall will mount “The Los Angeles Project.” The most important show to date of LA artists in Beijing (and, indeed, in China), the exhibition formalizes a connection that has been percolating for a while now—certainly since the polymorphous (and controversial) Sterling Ruby’s breakthrough solo show at Pace Gallery, Beijing, in 2011, and including the inaugural Art Basel Hong Kong in 2013 (the 2014 fair featured LA-based galleries Susanne Vielmetter and François Ghebaly). The

spotlight that has been trained on the Los Angeles art scene is about to get exponentially brighter. Though based in Beijing, Guy Ullens, founder of the Ullens Center, is immersed in the LA art scene; his son sits on the board of Milk L.A., and, Tinari says, this was one of the catalysts that prompted him and his curatorial team to start considering the connection between the two cities. “There’s something weirdly similar about them. There’s a creative license that happens in both places. It’s not a similarity of any sort of shared genealogy, but it resonates.” “The Los Angeles Project,” presented as an “anthology,” features eight of the most exciting young artists currently working in LA: Ruby (whose work was included in a show at UCCA in 2008) as well as Alex Israel, well known for his As It Lays website, with videos reminiscent of Warhol’s famous screen tests (only with —PHILIP TINARI pastel sets that look like they’re from the ’80s);

“Many of the top collectors in China want introductions when they go to [LA]. I think LA is pretty sexy for Chinese collectors right now.”

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEAN-BAPTISTE BÉRANGER

BY LUKE CRISELL

Stairs, 2004, by Melanie Pullen. A major show in Beijing is currently in the works for the LA-based photographer. ABOVE: For his latest project, artist Cole Sternberg is enlisting Chinese artisans to reproduce the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEXANDER RICHARDSON (STERNBERG); © MELANIE PULLEN (STAIRS)

LEFT:

conceptual sculptor Kathryn Andrews; Aaron Curry; Matthew Monahan; Kaari Upson; and the conceptual video-art duo Lizzie Fitch and Ryan Trecartin. The many and varied spaces of UCCA have allowed Tinari to give each artist considerable emphasis, which is reflected in the show’s publications: seven individual artists’ books, rather than a traditional catalog. “I think it’s exactly the right number; it’s a group show, but people can remember each specific part of it,” Tinari says. “It’s not total bombardment, but it shows diversity. It shows a range of things happening there.” Of course, Chinese interest in American art is nothing new. Chinese collectors are now an integral part of the international art market; major auction houses such as Christie’s have hired Chinese representatives to develop new business in Asia and manage relationships with important Asian clients, while leading galleries including Gagosian, Pace, and Ben Brown Fine Arts have all opened satellite offices in China. But alongside the commercial interest has risen an aesthetic one, a reaction in part to the repression of the Mao years, when art for art’s sake was denigrated to the point of vilification. Lee Ambrozy, currently editor-at-large of Artforum’s international Chineselanguage website and a PhD candidate in Chinese art history and archaeology at New York University, who edited and translated Ai Weiwei’s Blog (MIT Press, 2011), puts it thusly: “The so-called Chinese contemporary art world is just beginning to truly outgrow its skin and look ‘global,’ meaning it has shed its gray hues and Mao —MELANIE PULLEN jackets and blends into art fairs seamlessly. But art patronage in China is still fresh and adapting to emerging tastes of the newly rich. The ink is still wet on luxury taxes that will ultimately shape the international market there and will be very influential on how eager China’s domestic collectors are to invest in American art.” But a specific interest in Los Angeles’s contemporary artists is more recent. It’s also symptomatic of a wider situation, which is LA’s seemingly implacable rise as a hub for contemporary art. “It’s interesting what’s going on. It’s as though LA artists have just been discovered, but we’ve all been making work for decades!” says Melanie Pullen, a fine-art photographer represented by Ace Gallery in LA, who is currently in talks for a major show in Beijing. “It’s just now being recognized as unique and important, and our work has become highly sought after. This year has been one of the best years I’ve ever seen in the art market for me and my fellow artists. We can’t produce work quickly enough. continued on page 68

“Our art has become highly sought after. We can’t produce work quickly enough.”

COPY THAT! A new project by LA artist Cole Sternberg explores the dark side of the East/West connection, specifically the lucrative Chinese reproduction market. In July 2012, a private museum in Hebei, China, was shuttered when the government suspected that everything in it was forged (some 40,000 pieces). Go to the website of Chinese company Oil Painting Supplier, and you can buy a “Cézanne” for $20. Now Los Angeles–based artist Cole Sternberg is examining the lucrative Chinese reproduction market with a new project, “Trade Theories of an Obsessive State.” “I think at this point the world is one bazaar; you can order knock-off paintings or heroin on the Internet,” says Sternberg. “The reproduction market is an example of global capitalistic tendencies played out through the lens of art.” The centerpiece of Sternberg’s piece is a repurposed shipping container, bare save for the ceiling, on which the artist has commissioned a reproduction of the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling, painted in oil by artisans in Xiamen, China. Sternberg will travel with the container on a cargo ship for a 32-day crossing from the port of Hong Kong, around Cape Horn, and on to Miami, drawing, painting, and filming for the duration. The piece will then be shown with a selection of other works during Art Basel Miami Beach this December. For Sternberg, it’s all part of an ongoing dialogue between himself and his viewer: “It’s a never-ending and continual search for something better.”

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ART FULL Santa’s Helper, 2014, by Kathryn Andrews.

Expressionism, Modernism, etc.—but as Los Angeles is a younger art city, artists in Los Angeles are continuing to create their own history as well.”

ne night this past spring, Philip Tinari found himself at the gothic 1920s movie theater in Downtown Los Angeles that houses the L.A. Dance Project, founded by choreographer Benjamin Millepied and composer Nico Muhly. “One of their dances had a giant set by Barbara Kruger and another one had a set by Sterling Ruby, and you looked around at the audience and there were all these [art-world] movers and shakers,” Tinari says. “You just felt like you were in a city that was having a cultural moment—it was really exciting.” And that, perhaps, is the crux of it: The Los Angeles art scene, represented not just in the burgeoning independent galleries, but in the city’s major museums (and that includes the Hammer Museum, which has evolved from a university gallery to an internationally important

ART’S THE LIMIT The Lapis Press marks 30 years with exquisite limited-edition pieces by LA’s iconic artists. BY ALLYSON REES

“LAPIS IS AN ARTIST’S TOOLBOX,” explains Adam Gross, director of Culver City’s The Lapis Press, a studio and publishing house known for its ultraspecialized, limited-edition works. “We create an environment for artists to work—in collaboration with our team of professional craftspeople—to create something that furthers their oeuvre.” Celebrating its 30th year, Lapis was founded by artist Sam Francis in 1984. Since then, the studio has worked with up-and-coming, midcareer, and established artists from all over the globe, creating an eclectic portfolio of specialty objects. Featured artists read as a who’s who of the contemporary art scene—think Ed Ruscha, Anish Kapoor, and Adam Rabinowitz—and

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institution for contemporary art), hasn’t been this exciting, this vital, in decades. “Really, if you look at the entire Western world, [LA has] one of the most significant concentrations of artists working anywhere,” says Tinari. “For whatever reason, it feels like it is reinventing itself. The LA art scene has really become one of the most interesting things about art in America right now.” LAC

past collaborations range from a box of tattooed doll appendages by Oaxacan artist Dr. Lakra to etchings of brain silhouettes by Italian maestro Giuseppe Penone. “It’s like book publishing, but we make objects,” says Gross. “Instead of there being 1,000 [editions], there are just a few.” To celebrate its big 3-0 this summer, Lapis is collaborating with local artist Ruben Ochoa on a series of sculptures that highlight the socioeconomic intersections of Southern California. Ochoa reimagines scrap rebar and wood pallets in porcelain and concrete, recontextualizing these common, utilitarian items as fragile art pieces that say, “Look, but do not touch.” Lapis is also paying homage to LA with a series of gritty, black and white images from Steel Life Porcelana, 2014, by Ruben Ochoa. Tokyo-based photographer Daido Moriyama, taken during a visit to Los Angeles last year. Ochoa and Moriyama’s editions are the first in a series meant to highlight The Lapis Press’s three decades of work and set the groundwork for the next 30 years. Gross says, “Our focus is to keep our heads down and just do more great work!” 8563 Higuera St., Culver City, 310-558-7700; lapispress.com

continued from page 67 It’s a nice place to be in!” Says Tinari: “A number of people I consult for, many of the top collectors in China, want introductions when they go to [LA]. I think LA is pretty sexy for Chinese collectors right now.” And for many Chinese contemporary artists, too, like performance artist Yan Xing, who currently splits his time between Beijing and Los Angeles. Ruby, among the first LA artists to show in Beijing, sees the developing relationship between the cities as a natural evolution of a shared cultural starting point. “The city of Beijing often reminds me of Los Angeles,” says the artist, who works in multiple mediums, often presenting in dense, powerful installations. “Beijing is always changing— every time I go back it feels like things have shifted. It still feels wide open, with endless possibilities. I think that the artists I have gotten to know there really work from a place of autobiography that is not always in fashion in the West, but I often find myself working from a personal narrative that feels akin to the sensibilities of the artists in China. There is a community of Chinese artists who are inventing their own post-cultural-revolution art historical narrative. It is not the exact same thing, but in the US, New York has a longer art history and movements associated with it—Abstract

LIVE AMONGST ART WITH LOS ANGELES CONFIDENTIAL’S COMMISSIONED PETER MAX CUSTOM COVER ONE ORIGINAL PAINTING OF THE ARTWORK IS AVAILABLE ALL NET PROCEEDS WILL BENEFIT THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES. VISIT CHARITYBUZZ.COM/NICHEMEDIA AND PLACE YOUR BID. AUCTION OPEN JUNE 3 — AUGUST 6. The iconic artist Peter Max embraces the spirit of Los Angeles to create a colorful cover reflecting a landscape in his vibrant, cosmic style. Through a special partnership between Los Angeles Confidential and Peter Max, one one-of-a-kind, original artwork of Los Angeles Confidential’s Summer cover will be auctioned on Charitybuzz to benefit The Humane Society of the United States. This unity celebrates Peter Max’s prolific contribution to the world of art spanning generations, and commemorates the 60th anniversary of The Humane Society of the United States. This special, one-of-a-kind, 20” x 24” hand-embellished work on paper was commissioned exclusively for Los Angeles Confidential magazine’s Summer 2014 issue. In addition, with a $250 donation to The Humane Society of the United States, you can enjoy a limited-edition 18”x 24” poster of the Summer 2014 Los Angeles Confidential cover, plate signed by Peter Max.

Only 25 limited-edition posters of the special, custom-created cover art are available on: www.humanesociety.org/petermaxart

All Art © Peter Max 2014

AN EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PREVIEW OF OUR OTHER CITIES’ COVER ARTWORK BY PETER MAX

THIS ISSUE: DOWNTOWN!

Chapter and Verve AT L.A. CHAPTER, THE LATEST COOL-INARY ARTISTS TO REVITALIZE THE DOWNTOWN DINING SCENE ARE STRAIGHT OUT OF… BROOKLYN. BY JEN JONES DONATELLI

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Table vivant: A simple salad of dungeness crab with radish, mâche, lotus, and green goddess dressing is still-life perfection at Downtown’s arty L.A. Chapter.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSICA SAMPLE

hen it comes to zoning in on the next dining hot spot, Jud Mongell isn’t afraid to take a gamble on an upand-coming area. After all, he partnered with Heath Ledger to open Five Leaves in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, long before it was the stomping grounds for HBO’s Girls. “We built a restaurant there before anyone thought of Greenpoint as a culinary contender,” says Mongell, a New Zealand native and former Angeleno. And now, with the debut of L.A. Chapter in Downtown’s Ace Hotel, Mongell and his team are poised to replicate that success on the West Coast. “When we opened Five Leaves five years ago, there was a pioneer vibe [in Greenpoint]; everyone thought Jud was crazy,” says Dan Sabo, former GM for Five Leaves and now the Ace Hotel’s beverage manager. “There’s a similar movement here in Downtown LA—people are coming down here because they can do their own thing.” In few places is that irreverence more on display than at the shiny new Ace, named to Condé Nast Traveler’s 2014 “Hot List” of the 33 best new hotels in the world. The old United Artists Theatre marquee provides exterior signage for the hotel, and inside, loose-leaf script pages line the lobby walls next to crudely drawn pencil renderings of LA notables by design wunderkinds Simon and Nikolai Haas. The crowd is just as eclectic as the décor—look no further than the rainbow of hair hues for proof. Dubbed an “unabashed hipster playground” on the same Condé Nast Traveler list, the hotel’s vibrant social scene attracts an array of Downtown types from nearby fashion continued on page 74

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TASTE

Chef Ken Addington’s stuffed rabbit loin wrapped in pancetta.

WHAT TO ORDER Crowds seeking a retro-cool Downtown experience and singular fare are flocking to L.A. Chapter. Micah Fields (LEFT), a Top Chef alum, is the restaurant’s chef de cuisine.

continued from page 72 labels and start-ups. On any given night at L.A. Chapter, one might spot the founder of Nudie Jeans or musicians Beck and John Mayer unwinding after a show at the Ace’s on-site theater. Visitors get their caffeine fix at the Stumptown Coffee Roasters coffee bar inside the restaurant, where baristas spin vinyl LPs. “We’ve got an amazing, fun, local clientele—Downtown residents who come in —KEN ADDINGTON every single day,” says chef Ken Addington. “We started [Five Leaves] as a neighborhood restaurant, and we like the idea of community. Our goal here is to maintain that same vision, which is: ‘Make a regular out of everybody.’” To that end, Addington and chef de cuisine Micah Fields (a Top Chef alum) have followed the Five Leaves footprint by incorporating some of the signature dishes from Brooklyn in to L.A. Chapter’s menu. Topping the list is the locally sourced Five Leaves Burger (dry-aged, grass-fed beef from Lindy & Grundy topped with harissa mayo, grilled pineapple, pickled beets, and an egg). And, by popular demand, Addington has added a chopped kale salad to the menu: “The same people who eat at Five Leaves eat at Ace, and they’d say, ‘Where’s my kale salad?’ It’s simple, but people really lose it for that dish.” The insta-popularity of L.A. Chapter can also likely be attributed to the due diligence paid by Mongell, Addington, and Sabo, who, before opening the restaurant, visited a long list of local hot spots, including Bäco Mercat, Bestia, Ammo, Eveleigh, and Laurel Hardware. “We wanted to try all the places that helped reinvent the LA culinary standard,” recalls Mongell. Now that the restaurant is open, Sabo says he “reels at how warmly we’ve been welcomed” by LA’s foodies—making the name L.A. Chapter somewhat prophetic. “I came up with it because I loved how motorcycle gangs would use literary terms to describe their headquarters,” laughs Mongell. “This is our headquarters, and [being from Brooklyn], it’s like the LA chapter of our lives.” 927 S. Broadway, LA, 213-235-9660; lachapter.com LAC

Don’t miss the delicious dishes unique to L.A. Chapter. “People are digging the more creative stuff we’re doing,” says chef Ken Addington, including stuffed rabbit loin wrapped in pancetta and lamb pho dip, which he describes as “a cross between banh mi and a French dip.”. Not surprisingly, close attention is also paid to the cocktail program, as exemplified by a technique called “Mr. Potato Head-ing.” Says beverage manager Dan Sabo, “We take a classic, recognizable cocktail and replace one ingredient with something new, modern, and fun.” He cites the Ghostlight— an Old-Fashioned infused with Demerara syrup.

“We like the idea of community. Our goal is to make a regular out of everybody.”

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Designed to evoke the feeling of a French brasserie, L.A. Chapter’s interior features shiny brass tables and comfy black and green leather banquettes. “The feel changes throughout the day—early on, it’s a very bright, bustling brunch/lunch spot, and at night, it’s this very dim, sexy restaurant,” says beverage manager Dan Sabo. To that end, restaurateur Jud Mongell suggests lunching at one of the outside tables and sitting inside (the round corner table is his favorite) at night.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSICA SAMPLE

BEST TABLES IN THE HOUSE

FROM NICHE MEDIA, THE PUBLISHER OF LOS ANGELES CONFIDENTIAL MAGAZINE

LAUNCHING THIS SEPTEMBER.

CHEERS

Café au LA! A

quiet revolution has been taking place in Downtown Los Angeles—one whose soundtrack involves the whir of blades grinding coffee beans and the gentle trickle of cold-water brewing. Almost overnight, it seems, Los Angeles has become the next great American coffee destination, joining other West Coast incumbents like Seattle and San Francisco. Downtown, in particular, is the epicenter of this shift, with roasters both homegrown and transplanted reviving historic Arts District buildings, installing gleaming new machinery, and brewing up cups of pure caffeinated ambrosia. Stalwarts like Novel Café (811 Traction Ave., LA, 213-621-2240; novelcafe.com) and Daily Dose (1820 Industrial St., LA, 213-281-9300; dailydoseinc.com) have been around for years, but it is the bumper crop of newer coffeehouses that has Downtown buzzing, thanks to a holistic approach that emphasizes everything from the provenance of the coffee beans to the specific way of roasting each to brewing methods, all while educating customers along the way. “LA is unique in that it was kind of late to the party, which means we have less baggage here,” explains Michael Phillips of Handsome Coffee Roasters (582 Mateo St., LA, 213-617-9826; handsomecoffee.com). “I think Los Angeles is a city that rewards people taking chances.” Those chances include the fact that “coffee in

76 LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM

DTLA was fairly sparse when we opened Handsome,” says Phillips, especially in the Arts District at the time, where rents were low and crime was still high. “Our menu was also very different,” continues Phillips. “We had coffee and organic whole milk. That’s it. No sugar, no alternative milks, no tea, no syrups, chocolate, or flavors of any kind. No one else in the city—or country, for that matter— had a menu as specific and focused on coffee as ours at that time. We did not make modifications

Almost overnight, it seems, Los Angeles has become the next great American coffee destination. and asked people to trust us, and they did.” Now big names like Verve Coffee Roasters (833 Spring St., LA; vervecoffeeroasters.com) from Santa Cruz and Oakland-based Blue Bottle Coffee are moving in as well. (Blue Bottle acquired Handsome Coffee Roasters in May and plans to open a second Venice location over the summer.) Another out-of-town interloper, Portland-based Stumptown Coffee Roasters (806 S. Santa Fe Ave., LA, 213-337-0936; stumptowncoffee.com), is

perhaps one of the best-known purveyors of fine beans in the country, and it has brought its signature style—enormous industrial space, hand-scrawled menu options on the wall, ultracaffeinating specialties like Hair Bender Espresso (a blend of Latin American, East African, and Indonesian beans that has generated a cult following)—to Downtown. But here, the accompaniments come with distinctly LA personalities, such as the kimchi-Spam croissant, courtesy of Sugarbloom Bakery. Other caffeinistas are starting homegrown LA coffeehouses, and specifically choosing DTLA to do so, including partners Kyle Glanville and Charles Babinski of G&B Coffee (324 S. Hill St., No. C19, LA, 213-624-2378; gandbcoffee.com). Their stall in the Grand Central Market has a standing-room counter inspired by Madrid’s tapas bars, with roving baristas filling orders for signature drinks like almond milk lattes and espresso milkshakes made with Straus Family Creamery milk. “It’s clear that DTLA is becoming something truly unique, and I think Grand Central Market is in the middle of it all,” says Glanville. In fact, he adds, “The LA coffee scene might be the strongest of the bunch. The best in LA can certainly hold its own with anyone… the ceiling seems higher here in California.” The ceiling may be higher, but these Downtown purveyors are setting the coffee bar higher as well. LAC

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PIOTR PABIJAN/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

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GUIDE

FROM LEFT:

The “industrial-chic” Soleto Trattoria in South Park, with exposed beams and reclaimed-wood floors; the Pickled Garden at Fifty Seven, consisting of pickled cucumber, carrot, squash, cauliflower, and baby beets.

HIGH SPIRITS Drink in the DTLA cityscape (and some stellar cocktails) at these lofty skyscraper-top bars.

Tour de Tables DOWNTOWN IS CHOCKABLOCK WITH MICRO-HOODS. HERE, A GUIDE TO A FEW OF THE HOTTEST—AND THE CAN’T-MISS RESTAURANTS IN EACH.

Arts District Located on a former Heinz loading dock, the brand-new Fifty Seven features a hot new chef-in-residence each season and a salonlike space downstairs for music, art, and more. First up in the kitchen: “Progressive American” chef David Nayfeld (an Eleven Madison Park alum). 712 S. Santa Fe Ave., LA, 213-816-8157; fiftysevenla.com

Bunker Hill Though Downtown is clearly a hotbed for buzzy new restaurants, the 11-year-old Patina is a MOCA- and Disney Hall– adjacent French classic that’s still going strong. This summer’s innovations include a cooking class with Executive Chef Charles Olalia (August 2) and a new prix-fixe menu just for Paleo dieters. 141 S. Grand Ave., LA, 213-972-3331; patinarestaurant.com

Fashion District Named Bon Appétit’s Best New Restaurant in America for 2013, Alma’s daring seasonal California cuisine is some of the most--

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coveted in town. Not bad for a chef who’s not even 30 years old (that would be Ari Taymor, who was also lauded on Food & Wine’s Best Chefs list last year). 952 S. Broadway, LA, 213-244-1422; alma-la.com

Historic Core Chef Josef Centeno is the unofficial mayor of the DTLA food scene, with three equally impressive restaurants in the bustling Fourth and Main district. Orsa & Winston is the swankiest, with inventive omakase tasting menus influenced by France, Japan, Spain, and beyond. 122 W. Fourth St., LA, 213-6870300; orsaandwinston.com

South Park Perfectly situated for an L.A. Live preshow dinner, Italian oasis Soleto Trattoria and Pizza Bar boasts a menu by chef Sasha Lyon, who has done time in the kitchens of A-1 chefs like Daniel Boulud and Alain Giraud. Be sure to order a pie from the exhibition pizza bar. 801 S. Figueroa St., LA, 213-622-3255; innovativedining.com/ restaurants/soleto LAC

The My Fair Lady cocktail at Perch, with vodka, cranberry juice, and crème de pêche.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAKOB N. LAYMAN (PICKLED GARDEN)

ozy fire pits, live music, an urban vista at your feet—there’s a reason why the perfectly Parisian Perch (448 S. Hill St., LA, 213-8021770; perchla.com) is one of LA’s favorite spots for booze with a view. Come on Wednesdays through July for jazz, oysters, and a My Fair Lady—made with vodka, cranberry juice, and crème de pêche. A few doors down, The Rooftop at The The Rooftop at The Standard offers a rare dose of greenery Standard (550 S. in the middle of Downtown’s Flower St., LA, high-rise cityscape. 213-892-8080; standardhotels.com) has a slightly sexier vibe, with a swimming pool and nightly DJs. Be sure to grab a pretzel from the delightfully kitschy Biergarten on your way out. Even more altitudinous is Takami (811 Wilshire Blvd., LA, 213-236-9600; takamisushi.com)—a 21st-floor sushi and sake lounge whose name means “elevated place” in Japanese—while The RitzCarlton’s Nest at WP24 (900 W. Olympic Blvd., LA, 213-743-8824; ritzcarlton.com), hovering 24 stories above L.A. Live, is the most high-reaching of all, with East-meetsWest cocktails and plates by none other than “his highness,” Wolfgang Puck.

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THE DISH

Mexican Revelation DOWNTOWN’S BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANTS PROVE THAT THE TACO CAN BE A CULINARY TRIUMPH. BY ERIC ROSEN

80 LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM

Taco belles! Modern-day gourmet iterations of the once-humble taco have come a long way from the fast-food staple of years past.

DTLA is one of the few places where tacos are served on street corners… and in white-tablecloth dining rooms. thanks to an agridulce cucumber-citrus slaw, tart pink grapefruit, avocado, and roasted jalapeño aioli that packs just the right punch. Chef Josef Centeno has turned into a veritable LA restaurant impresario, but Bar Amá (118 W. Fourth St., LA, 213-687-8002; bar-ama.com), his latest place, pays homage to the classic Mexican dishes of his San Antonio childhood. An afterhours crowd of lawyers, bankers, and Eastside hipsters fill this congenially cavernous cantina to scarf down Centeno’s specialty—the “puffy taco,” so named for its wontonlike, deep-fried shell. The Heritage pork asada on the current menu is a revelation—juicy, savory grilled meat dripping with flavor and garnished with tart tomatillo, cumin, avocado, and sprinkles of tangy queso fresco. Opened back in 2009 by the scion of one of LA’s best-known Mexican restaurant dynasties (the folks from Highland Park’s El Arco Iris), the ultracontemporary Yxta (601 S. Central Ave., LA, 213-596-5579; yxta.net) has proven visionary when it comes to the evolution of Downtown’s restaurant scene, though it’s comfortingly traditional in terms

of its menu. Here, owner Jesse Gomez showcases a mouthwatering selection of tacos, including one with slow-cooked pork carnitas with an onioncilantro sauce and fresh guacamole, and the al pastor, with spit-roasted marinated pork, tropical pineapple chunks, red onion, and cilantro. The similarly dynastic Guisados is fast becoming a homegrown LA mini-chain, boasting a Boyle Heights original, a second installment in Echo Park, and a third brick-and-mortar taco shop in the heart of Downtown to be launched this summer (541 S. Spring St., LA, 213-627-7656; guisados.co). An unpretentious but gourmet taco joint, the menu here features an intriguing panoply of flavors. The spicy tinga de pollo with expertly seasoned shredded chicken and a slice of cool avocado is a top choice as is the mouthwateringly meaty chorizo taco. For a true DTLA experience, order a sampler platter and wash it all down with a house-made horchata or the aguas frescas of the day, in typical flavors like cantaloupe and hibiscus. (You won’t even miss the margarita—trust us.) LAC

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GARY JAMES

he taco might just be the superhero of the LA dining scene. It has the requisite humble origin story—one that dates back more than a thousand years to when the Mayans started stuffing corn cakes with beans, creating a dish that eventually fueled the rise of a far-flung empire. From there, the taco found a home throughout Central America and the American Southwest, evolving over time into a staple not just of Mexican cuisine, but of Angeleno food culture as well. What sets the taco apart from other dishes are the gourmet possibilities in its very simplicity—find some fresh ingredients you like, cook them to order, and serve hot to waiting diners, whether they’re on a street corner or in a white-tablecloth dining room. Downtown LA is one of the few places where both of these scenarios are common—it’s arguably the taco’s current homeland. John Rivera Sedlar, the man behind Downtown Mexican cocina Rivera (1050 S. Flower St., No. 102, LA, 213-749-1460; riverarestaurant.com), is not just an award-winning chef, but is also a food historian who has made a study of the taco. His knowledge clearly shows in the presentation here. His “tacos” are actually maize cakes made with tortillas toasted in grapeseed oil, with flowers pressed into the dough, and then served with luscious guacamole. There’s no reason to get more complicated than that… unless it’s to dine at Border Grill (445 S. Figueroa St., LA, 213-4865171; bordergrill.com), which became a DTLA landmark thanks to the more Tex-Mex, but still upscale, iteration of these handheld delicacies conceived by chef-owner partners Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken. The signature dish here is the crispy rajas taco: fluffy Yukon Gold potatoes with roasted bell and poblano peppers, caramelized onions, Mexican cheeses, chunks of avocado, charred corn relish, and smoky chipotle crema that pleases even LA’s notoriously picky vegetarians. The grilled fish tacos, made with sustainable, seasonal catches, are another popular choice (after all, what is more Californian than a fish taco?),

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A luxury boutique ofering a full lifestyle collection including washed leathers, upcycled cashmere and the exclusive distributor of Craven Iteri fne jewelry. Everything you need for beach to black tie. Vintage collectibles featuring home furnishings, bags, sunglasses and antique accessories are curated seasonally.

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ON THE TOWN

FEST FRIENDS When: A fiery late-spring afternoon Where: DTLA’s hot/ haute Italian-heavy Bestia Time: Pre-dinner, pre-madness

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Robert Weakley, Rory Herrmann, and David Bernahl have all had a hand in transforming Downtown’s culinary scene; before dinner at Bestia, the trio shared a chef’s selection of house-cured meats; the dining room at Bestia, one of DTLA’s hottest new arrivals.

Cuisine Artists THE NUMBER ONE THING LOS ANGELES FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL FOUNDERS DAVID BERNAHL AND ROBERT WEAKLEY HAVE IN COMMON WITH MAESTRO CHEF RORY HERRMANN? A CULTIVATED LOVE OF DRINKING AND DINING—AND RIGHT NOW, ALL SIGNS ARE POINTING THEM DOWNTOWN. BY JEN JONES DONATELLI

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has recruited fellow Thomas Keller alum Tim Hollingsworth as chef). Over an ingenious meal of pan-roasted chicken gizzards, squid ink strozzapreti, house-cured salumi, and stinging nettle pappardelle, the accomplished group had a candid chat about LAFW and all things Downtown dining. Los Angeles Confidential: David and Robert, you first teamed up professionally in 2008 for the Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival (PBFW), but how did you originally become friends? David Bernahl: We first met when Rob walked into my clothing store in Carmel; at the time, he was food and beverage director for the Highlands Inn, one of my favorite restaurants. He said, “I’ve got an idea for you; I want to do something special for your store.” I thought, Wow, sounds fantastic. Then he said, “It goes something like this: You’ll give me 100 suits for free and, in exchange, we’re going to wear them.” I immediately started looking for Allen Funt of Candid Camera to pop out, and at that moment, I realized Rob was as crazy as I was. We became best friends instantly. Along with Pebble Beach Food & Wine, you’ve also run LAFW for the last three years. What’s on tap for 2014?

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSICA SAMPLE

he mood is jovial—and relatively chaotic—at buzzy Italian favorite Bestia, where the staff is crouched in a spirited huddle just before start of service on a fully booked weekday evening. At the bar, Coastal Luxury Management power duo David A. Bernahl II and Robert Weakley are regaling chef Rory Herrmann with tales of their trip to New York for the James Beard Awards (including a meal at Herrmann’s former post, Per Se), while Herrmann shows them recent photos of Thomas Keller holding his newborn. As the staff starts chanting and clapping per their pre-service ritual, Bernahl, Weakley, and Herrmann toast craft cocktails— after all, there’s a lot to celebrate among this culinary trio. This year, Bernahl and Weakley have opened Downtown’s Faith & Flower and Rose. Rabbit. Lie. in Las Vegas, and they’re set to embark on their fourth year at the helm of the Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival (LAFW), which runs August 21–24. As for Herrmann, he’s rocking his role as director of culinary operations for Sprout Restaurant Group—helping Bill Chait expand his empire beyond Bestia and République with three new Downtown ventures: two projects in the Arts District as well as the highly anticipated restaurant at The Broad museum (for which Herrmann

BELOW:

Herrmann, Weakley, and Bernahl chat about August’s Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival; restaurants like Bestia are giving Downtown’s warehouses a new lease on life.

“It’s a rock-star environment [Downtown]. Chefs are seeing there’s real electricity here.” Robert Weakley: Along with the Power Lunch series and Tribute Dinner we do every year, we’ll be doing an “Ultimate Bites of LA” cook-off with notable chefs from various LA neighborhoods competing head to head to create the perfect version of a classic street food dish (like street tacos). On the night of August 22, we’re hosting an Asian Night Market with 35 of the greatest Asian chefs, plus amazing beer and sake. Saturday night (August 23) will be our marquee event, Lexus Live on the Plaza—we look at it as creating a 30-course dinner with 30 different chefs all trying to outdo one another. What’s the most decadent dining splurge at the event this year? DB: We have a Founders’ Dinner at both LAFW and PBFW—capped at 24 people with a cost of $2,000 per person. Every guest is responsible for bringing a bottle of wine with a minimum value of $10,000. We usually have three chefs do three courses each; in the past, the dinner has featured chefs like Thomas Keller, Daniel Humm, and Nancy Silverton. RW: Between the 24 people, they’re drinking more than a quarter million dollars’ worth of wine. What have been some of the most memorable moments in past festivals? Rory Herrmann: I’ll never forget when [Food Network star] Guy Fieri came out onstage the first year, and Wolfgang Puck said, “I hope your cooking is better than your hair.” I’ve never heard 150 chefs laugh louder than that. DB: At one of our wilder after-hours parties, [pastry chef] Sherry Yard actually climbed on top of one of the Lexus-sponsored cars and started dancing. RW: She dented the hood! [Laughs] I remember she had a marshmallow bazooka in her hand, and Questlove was deejaying. At another party, Christina Aguilera started a dance-off. Those are the moments where you sit back and say, “Is this for real?” Downtown acts as ground zero for LAFW—what factors drew you to that area?

DB: Coming from Pebble Beach, which is more resort-driven, our first reaction to Beverly Hills and Santa Monica was that it was similar to what we’d already done. We spent time getting to know the community Downtown, and we could feel where it would be in a matter of years. [That said], that first year was still a little scary. RH: Look at the Arts District: Six years ago, you could throw a stone and take any building you wanted; now you can’t even get someone to show you a property unless you’re serious. Chefs started moving down here for the youth, energy, and quality of life. DB: It was exactly that energy that brought LAFW to make its home Downtown. Art, design, and architecture play such a big role Downtown. How is that reflected in the culinary offerings? RH: When you look at these buildings and the space around them, it really speaks to chefs and restaurateurs as a place where they can be creative and experimental, and people will appreciate it. People are taking buildings like this one [Bestia], bringing them back to life and giving them soul. DB: That was the narrative we put behind Faith & Flower. It’s easy to envision a time when Downtown LA was a spectacular place, and anyone who visits will realize that what was once is about to be again. RW: David and I love walking around Downtown and looking at the landscape and saying, “Where do you think the first Louis Vuitton will be? Where will Chanel go?” What makes the Downtown dining scene stand out from others around the country? DB: It’s a rock-star environment. LA is full of badasses—young chefs who are putting out ridiculously technical food, but doing their own thing with it. RH: Chefs like Tim Hollingsworth [who will helm the forthcoming restaurant at The Broad], Ari Taymor [of Alma], and David Nayfeld [of Fifty Seven], are all people who could have ended up in New York, Chicago, or San Francisco, but chose to be in Downtown Los Angeles. They’re seeing that there’s real electricity here, and they want to put their plugs in and ignite it. LAC

AROUND DOWNTOWN The trio paints a picture of DTLA’s dining landscape: Bäco Mercat (408 S. Main St., LA; 213-687-8808; bacomercat.com) “The shrimp cocktail at Bäco Mercat always satisfies. I usually get that with the Caesar Brussels and a Copper Fix cocktail. (I love bourbon and citrus.)” —Bernahl Bestia (2121 Seventh Pl., LA; 213-514-5724; bestiala.com) “Not only do I love to go for the amazing food, the atmosphere gives a sense that there’s something really cool going on.” —Herrmann Faith & Flower (705 W. Ninth St., LA; 213-239-0642; faithandflowerla.com) “When you walk in, it’s a reflection of [David and Rob]. It’s a good time, you feel welcome, and you know that, at some point in the night, it will be the best party Downtown.” —Herrmann The Varnish (118 E. Sixth St., LA; 213-622-9999; thevarnishbar.com) and Seven Grand (515 W. Seventh St., No. 2, LA; 213-614-0737; sevengrandbars.com) “Both The Varnish and Seven Grand are responsible for reinstating the cocktail Downtown!” —Herrmann WP24 (900 W. Olympic Blvd., LA; 213-743-8824; wolfgangpuck.com) “When I need a meeting spot with a slightly more formal tone, I rock the bao buns at WP24 with a straightforward Oxley gin martini.” —Bernahl

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P R O M OT I O N

THE

GALLERY SCENE

Los Angeles’ contemporary art scene is thriving and there is no shortage of captivating work on display today to celebrate. This Summer, allow us to connect you to some of the city’s most prolifc art galleries.

Anya Gallaccio, Installation view, 2014 Blum & Poe, Los Angeles Courtesy of the artist and Blum & Poe, Los Angeles

Timothy Blum and Jefrey Poe founded Blum & Poe in September 1994 with the intention to present international contemporary art in all media. To date, they have produced world-class exhibitions featuring Japanese, Chinese, European, and American artists like Chuck Close, Nigel Cooke, Carroll Dunham, and so forth. Blum & Poe enters its 20th year continuing to develop and sustain relationships with artists, collectors, curators, museums and more, cultivating a diverse network of support and acclaim worldwide.

Fabien Castanier Gallery is a contemporary art gallery with an emphasis on urban contemporary art and limited editions. Te gallery recently relocated to Culver City’s thriving arts district.

Blum & Poe

2727 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034 310.836.2062 www.blumandpoe.com

Fabien Castanier Gallery

2919 La Cienega Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232 310.876.3529 www.castaniergallery.com

Unit A, 3143 S La Cienega Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90016 310.558.3030 www.davidkordanskygallery.com

7380 Beverly Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90036 323.965.5578 www.tellesfneart.com

David Kordansky Gallery

Richard Telles Fine Art

P R O M OT I O N

456 N Camden Dr Beverly Hills, CA 90210 310.271.9400 www.gagosian.com

441 N Fairfax Ave Los Angeles, CA 90036 310.860.6263 www.knowngallery.com

Gagosian Gallery

Gallery Seomi Gallery Seomi, located at historic Case Study House #21 in the Hollywood Hills, is one of the world’s leading contemporary design galleries. Representing Lee Hun Chung, and Bae Se Hwa, known from Design Miami, and fne artist Joana Vasconcelos, known for her show at the Palace of Versailles in 2012. Case Study House #21 9038 Wonderland Park Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90046 310.994.9538 www.galleryseomi.com info@galleryseomi.com

Known Gallery

Courtesy of PRISM, Los Angeles

PRISM PRISM is a contemporary art gallery located on Sunset Boulevard that opened in November 2009. Te last fve years have included exhibitions by Nobuyshi Araki, Mario Testino, ‘Destroy All Monsters’ comprised of Mike Kelley, Jim Shaw, Cary Loren and Niagara; Barry McGee, Os Gemeos, Jonathan Zawada, Clare Rojas, Jim Drain, Paul Fagerskiold and most recently new paintings by Alfred Boman. 8746 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069 310.289.1301 www.prismla.com

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reasures TASTEMAKER

Shoe-In! SANDRA CHOI IS REINVENTING LA’S FOOT-FETISH FAVORITE, JIMMY CHOO, THIS SUMMER. BY ERIN MAGNER

andra Choi is obsessed with shoes—even more than the average gal. A slight spitfire of a woman with a floppy, choppy pixie cut, she fizzes with excitement when pointing out the starshaped punch holes on a men’s brogue. Her speech quickens when she talks about an oxblood crystalcovered heel. And it’s not enough for her to simply describe a pair of bugle-beaded T-bar sandals from her upcoming collection—she’s compelled to pull out a pen and paper and start sketching them. Not that this should be surprising; after all, as the niece and protégé of legendary bespoke footwear designer Jimmy Choo (and his namesake brand’s lead designer of nearly two decades), Choi, 41, practically has soles and stilettos coursing through her veins. But it’s safe to say that her infatuation with footwear has intensified since early 2013, when she was named sole creative director of the worldfamous London-based company. “I’m excited about everything,” says Choi. “[When] I took control over the whole thing after 17 years of watching it all happen, there’s part of me that felt like, Oh my God, finally! What do I do now? It was daunting, but I’m finding my footing.” Choi’s first order of business: give Jimmy Choo’s stores an extreme makeover, starting with the one on Rodeo Drive, which was unveiled this spring. She likens the lush new store concept to a “fantasy

closet” that tempers high-wattage glam (think gold chainmail and five different types of marble) with a cozy, relaxed sensibility (an earthy rock crystal chandelier). It’s a space that inspires you to kick off your shoes… and then buy five new pairs. “Jimmy Choo is a very positive and uplifting brand, and I think LA says it all,” she notes. “People are very free and happy and individual. The energy is great here.” She’s also putting her stamp on the goods themselves. This season, Choi introduced Choo.08—a cool, tomboy-ish collection of biker booties, wedge sneakers, and smoking slippers for gals on the go. “Choo.08 is my [personal] aesthetic pushed to the forefront,” says Choi, who has two daughters under the age of 5. “I move around a lot, and I want to be able to wear Jimmy Choo all day long.” She’s also amping up the men’s line—with inspiration from gentleman rockers such as Albert Hammond Jr. and Sr. (and, surely, her artist/designer husband, Tamburlaine Gorst)—and is paying homage to her uncle with a made-to-order shoe program, newly available in the Beverly Hills shop. “There is something about Jimmy Choo that’s really magical,” she says. “Going forward, I think it can be a bigger picture, and it might not just be in product. Watch this space.” 240 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-860-9045; jimmychoo.com LAC

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELISSA VALLADARES

BLAH-velous: Sandra Choi, LEFT, in her revamped Rodeo Drive shop, has put her signature stamp on everything Jimmy Choo, from women’s stilettos to men’s brogues to an LA-exclusive handbag ($995), BELOW.

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ONLY IN LA

Ferragamo’s mini black sequinned Fiamma handbag ($5,000) is exclusive to the label’s Rodeo Drive boutique.

All in the Fiamma

alvatore Ferragamo may be one of the fashion industry’s most-recognized names, but his late daughter, Fiamma, also played an integral role in the brand’s stratospheric success. After joining the family company in 1958 at age 16, Fiamma worked her way up to become the brand’s leather accessories and shoe designer for almost 40 years; the iconic Vara pump is just one of her claims to fame. This season, her spirit of creativity will live on with the new Fiamma handbag, a tribute to the legacy of craftsmanship that she helped cement. Made of supple leather, a mini black sequin version of the bag will be exclusively available at Ferragamo’s Rodeo Drive boutique; its playful

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sequins and modern shape are perfectly aligned with the SoCal attitude. The Fiamma also comes in five additional sizes and multiple colors and treatments, including degradé Swarovski crystals and fringe-embroidered nappa. To coincide with the launch of the Fiamma, an online film program called L’Icona has premiered on the brand’s website. The short film and interview series highlights inspirational women worldwide, including such famous LA-based offspring as Sydney and Anika Poitier (daughters of Sidney Poitier) and Mariel and Langley Fox Hemingway (granddaughter and great-granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway). Like fathers, like daughters. 357 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-273-9990; ferragamo.com/fiamma LAC

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF SALVATORE FERRAGAMO

SALVATORE FERRAGAMO UNVEILS A FAB NEW HANDBAG, EXCLUSIVE TO BEVERLY HILLS, NAMED AFTER THE DESIGNER’S LATE DAUGHTER. BY LAUREN FINNEY

GET TICKETS DON’T MISS: Daniel Boulud, Bobby Flay, Rachael Ray and over 500 of the best chefs, professionals and winemakers in the industry!

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The Festival promotes responsible drinking. 100% of the net proceeds go to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign and Food Bank For New York City. Sponsors confirmed as of 6.4.14

STYLE SPOTLIGHT

The Westime family expands with a new location in Malibu Country Mart. Don’t be fooled by its laid-back beach location— when Westime opens this summer at the Malibu Country Mart, the familyowned business will continue its commitment to unbridled luxury. “Malibu is home to sophisticated clients who don’t always want to travel into Los Angeles,” says Greg Simonian, Westime president and fourth-generation watch purveyor. “It’s better to serve them in their own backyards.” Several of the timepiece brands the boutiques are known for will be carried at Westime Malibu, including Audemars Piguet, Hublot, Franck Muller, Breitling, Zenith, and Richard Mille. “We know our boutiques are the only places in the country to see certain models of watches as well as a wide variety of mechanical timepieces at various prices,” says Simonian. Watch and wave enthusiasts now can get both in Malibu… just minutes from the sand. Malibu Country Mart, 3832 Cross Creek Road, Malibu, 310-456-2555; westime.com

Zenith Pilot Type 20 Annual Calendar Chronograph ($11,300).

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Rockin’! These Piedra sunglasses in “Maliblu” by Oliver Peoples ($295) are named for the limestone used to create many of LA’s architectural masterpieces.

Go West WEST HOLLYWOOD SPECS STAR OLIVER PEOPLES DEBUTS A NEW LINE OF SUNGLASSES TAILOR-MADE FOR THE SOCAL LIFESTYLE. “THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CULTURE helped to shape our brand identity,” says Larry Leight, founder and creative director of Oliver Peoples, whose A-list-approved optical empire began on Sunset Boulevard almost 30 years ago. “The LA lifestyle that surrounds us—elements of fashion, film, art, sports, and the unique landscape—remains a key part of the brand DNA.” Case in point: Oliver Peoples’s newest collection, West, which is “trendsetting and progressive while always staying true to the California-cool aesthetic,” according to Leight. The unisex collection comprises seven styles, all named for a quintessential piece of California, from the Hobson (a spot along the Pacific Coast Highway) to the Cabrillo (the Spaniard who “discovered” the state in 1542) to the Piedra (the limestone used in many architectural designs from Neutra, Wexler, and more). Unlike the wearable works of art that make up the main Oliver Peoples line, the West collection is designed to be more “functional for an on-the-go lifestyle.” Says Leight, “In California, specifically, we’ve noticed that people have a more laid-back look on the weekends when they are ‘off duty.’ We wanted to provide sunglass options for the more casual moments of [their] lives.” On offer for each of the seven styles is the exclusive “Maliblu” lens color, inspired by the shade of the Malibu water and sky. As Leight says, it’s the perfect hue to wear “to yoga or spin class, on a hike in the Palisades, or to get a bite during a drive down the Pacific Coast Highway.” South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-557-7000; oliverpeoples.com LAC

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF CRAWFORD (GLASSES)

About Time!

Challenge Yourself To Change Lives. 09.06.14

Ride with George Hincapie and other pro cyclists at the Best Buddies Challenge

CYCLE

100, 62, 30 or 15-miles, or run/walk a 5K with Carl Lewis.

Maria Shriver and Katie Meade at the Best Buddies Challenge

SUPPORT

people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

The Black Eyed Peas on stage in a live concert at the Best Buddies Challenge

CELEBRATE

your eforts with a massage, gourmet barbeque and private concert at the Hearst Ranch!

800.718.3536 | BESTBUDDIESCHALLENGE.ORG

SECRET CITY

Pottery au feu! Hot shop Ouli stocks everything from one-of-akind furniture and sculptures to vibrantly hued crockery from Peter Shire’s Echo Park Pottery.

Ouli-la-la! UNDER-THE-RADAR ART-HOME-STYLE EMPORIUM OULI DEBUTS IN ECHO PARK AS LA’S HIP-POPSTER SHOP OF THE MOMENT. BY ALLYSON REES

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MOLLY CRANNA; ILLUSTRATION BY SARA FRANKLIN

f you’ve visited Echo Park Avenue recently—perhaps on your way to a Dodgers game—you’ve likely passed Ouli, a jewel box of a gallery, showroom, and retail space just north of Sunset. But you probably didn’t realize it. At just 350 square feet, Ouli is easy to miss. Sparsely stocked and minimally decorated due to both aesthetics and spacial limitations, the shop features a tightly edited collection of homewares, artwork, sculpture, and furniture, including colorful mugs from Peter Shire’s Echo Park Pottery, mixed-media lamps from Brendan Timmins, and wool scarves from textile brand Sorcha. Originally opened as a holiday pop-up in December 2013, the store is the creative vision of interior/furniture designers Scott Barry and Brooke Intrachat, and is now a permanent fixture on Echo Park’s bustling retail scene.

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Ouli owners and Echo Park duo-abouttown Brooke Intrachat and Scott Barry.

“There is a sense of urgency, like ‘get it before it’s gone.’ It gives you a reason to visit.” — SCOTT BARRY

The duo, both Bay Area transplants (and distant exes) who now reside in Highland Park, opened the space as a place to share ideas about the home and showcase lesser-known artists who, according to Barry, were “looking for outlets to sell their things at a value that doesn’t undercut their work.” In fact, many of Ouli’s artists never imagined they could make a living selling their creations. Intrachat cites Sydney deJong, a ceramicist from Pasadena, whose pieces sell at Ouli for between $45 and $215. “She is our friend’s grandma, she’s in her 80s and was looking for a place to sell her work. Now collectors are buying her stuff. It’s such a good feeling!” The Dorset Fine Arts colony, the oldest arts organization in the Canadian Arctic, is another Ouli success story. The colony’s vibrantly colored calendars have really resonated with customers, thanks to their beautiful

imagery. “It’s so wonderful to work with communities that have a really rich craft tradition in a world where [many] are trying to find everything cheaper and mass-produced,” says Intrachat. Since its opening, Ouli has seen steady foot traffic from Eastside locals and design enthusiasts who traverse LA just to shop, but finding the sweet spot between retail, showroom, and gallery has been a challenge. In a market where virtually anything is available for purchase anytime, anywhere, Ouli’s retail concept—a rotating gallery of one-of-a-kind pieces—is a daring one. “There is a sense of urgency, like ‘get it before it’s gone,’” says Barry. “It gives you a reason to visit. We want to be engaging people in a way that makes them want to come back and see us.” In just a short time, Ouli has grown to become a neighborhood fixture and so have Barry and Intrachat. The pair has been commissioned for various creative projects, including designing fixtures for Echo Park’s new Dinette restaurant, helmed by Cafe Stella’s Gareth Kantner. They also are planning renovations to Ouli’s exterior with the help of their new landlords (and fellow Echo Park retailers), shoe designer Beatrice Valenzuela and partner/jewelry designer Ramsey Conder. “It’s starting to feel like raising a child,” says Intrachat. “They love the neighborhood as well and want it to keep getting better.” 1505 1⁄2 Echo Park Ave., LA; ouli.us; info@ouli.us LAC LEFT:

The vase on the top shelf is by ceramicist Peter Sheldon, who practices salt-firing techniques. Aubrey Horner created the miniature water vessels, entitled “Blades of Grass,” on the bottom shelf, and the painted clay and plaster sculptures on the top shelves are by Paul Kraftenberg.

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TIME KEEPER

All Hands on Deck I

t’s no secret that the ocean is under severe stress due to overfishing, pollution, and climate change. A number of top watch brands are recognizing the need to support the protection and preservation of the world’s seas by launching timepieces that give back. Blancpain, a brand well known and respected in the dive community, helps facilitate conservation with projects around the globe such as the Pristine Seas expedition. Conducted by National Geographic explorer Enric Sala and his team, Pristine Seas is an effort to explore, research, and protect some of the last unspoiled places in the sea. Similarly, through its relationship with Unesco, Jaeger-LeCoultre supports the protection of 46 marine sites around the world on the Unesco World Heritage list. The luxury brand has been involved in this project for more than half a dozen years FROM LEFT :

The Fifty Fathoms Automatic watch by Blancpain ($15,100) features an antimagnetic inner case, one-way rotating bezel, and is water-resistant to approximately 1,000 feet. Westime, 254 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-271-0000; blancpain.com. This 44mm Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M GoodPlanet watch ($8,100) is fitted with

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and provides immediate financial backing for Unesco to support the daily activities conducted at these crown jewels of the oceans. Still other brands have created special timepieces that contribute to ocean conservation. Omega designed its Seamaster Planet Ocean GoodPlanet as a tribute to its partnership with the GoodPlanet Foundation for environmental conservation. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this watch fully funds a project to preserve mangroves, sea grasses, and coral reefs in the seas of Southeast Asia. IWC supports a host of ocean involvements that range from projects in the Galapagos to partnering with the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Cousteau Society. It regularly creates watches in honor of these relationships and commits portions of the proceeds from every sale to them. LAC

the Omega Co-Axial caliber 8605 and equipped with a helium escape valve. Westime, 8569 W. Sunset Blvd., LA, 310- 289-0808; westime.com. From Jaeger-LeCoultre, this Deep Sea Chronograph ($11,800) houses a 340part mechanical automatic movement, is crafted in steel, and is water-resistant to 330 feet. 9490 Brighton Way, Beverly

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Artist PETER MAX has captured everyone from the Dalai Lama to the Beatles in his psychedelic style. In this Los Angeles Confidential exclusive, the hosts of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, unveil the colorful stories—and the man—behind the masterpieces and this issue’s cover.

ne of the country’s most prolific artists, Peter Max is widely known for his “cosmic style,” with creations that have been seen everywhere from the Orange County Museum of Art to the hull of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Breakaway, a Continental Airlines Boeing 777 fuselage, and the massive stages of the Woodstock ’99 music festival. His mixed-media works can be found in the collections of six former US presidents, while his art—recognizable for its energetic brushstrokes of primary colors and psychedelic panoramas of stars, planets, profiles, and icons from Lady Liberty to Marilyn Monroe—has been used to represent five Super Bowls, the World Cup, the World Series, the US Open, the Grammys, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “I’m just very happy to be in the middle of all this,” says Max of his roster of accomplishments. Born in Berlin and reared in Shanghai, Max moved with his family around the globe, from Tibet to Israel to Paris—each destination influencing his art. Eventually Max settled in New York, where, at age 76, he continues to produce a dizzying array of works, including this Los Angeles Confidential cover—one of a collection of 10 covers created exclusively for Niche

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OPPOSITE PAGE: PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF GALE (MAX, COVER); THIS PAGE: ERIC RYAN ANDERSON (BRUSH)

MAX

The Max Factor: Prolific artist Peter Max created artwork as covers for 10 Niche Media publications, including Los Angeles Confidential; the original paintings are being auctioned on Charitybuzz to benefit The Humane Society of the US.

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“Twenty-four seven, creativity, creativity, creativity—it’s all I do. I draw when I wake up in the morning, I draw on airplanes, I draw in limousines…”

out for coffee and declared he would marry at first sight. “We donate money left and right, we have events up [in the studio] all the time… we have six rescue animals of our own at the house!” Currently, the indefatigable Max also has seven feature film and animation projects in the works, including one for the estate of Frank Sinatra. Here, in celebration of the painter’s 50 Max creating the cover for Los Angeles Confidential. years of commercial success and his collection of city renderings exclusively for Niche Media, the Media publications that include Aspen Peak, Boston Common, Capitol File, artist opens up about his unparalleled career, his spirituality, and the famous Gotham, Hamptons, Michigan Avenue, Ocean Drive, Philadelphia Style, and friends who have helped influence his work. Vegas. The original paintings are being auctioned on Charitybuzz through August 6 to benefit The Humane Society of the US. BEHIND THE BRUSHSTROKES “LA is one of the most creative cities on our planet,” says Max. “My cover Many artists will agree that it’s a struggle to gain recognition, but to art features the city’s angels, creative forces, world-inspiring imaginations, keep it and have it last 50 years is unusual. What do you think is the and natural beauty with the legendary Sunset Boulevard winding past the key to your success? Chateau Marmont under California’s vibrant sky. I’m constantly inspired by It’s just being present, letting creativity come through. I’m also really lucky the imagery, films, music, writing, entertainment, and creativity that come because we live in an age of media. It used to be, when I was on the cover of from this City of Angels.” Life magazine 45 years ago, there were only three magazines—Time, Life, and In his studio—two full-floor lofts near New York’s Lincoln Center—Max has Fortune. My art got to be on two of those covers. galleries’ worth of his work: a towering portrait of the Statue of Liberty he Early in your career, you studied a lot of the masters, from Rembrandt painted on the White House lawn for President Ronald Reagan in 1981; a mul- to Sargent. How did you develop your cosmic style? ticolored Baldwin piano signed by his pal Ringo Starr; rows of Lucite I used to draw never even thinking that drawing is something you could do sculptures taken from his “Angel” series; a painted guitar originally made for [as a career] once you became an adult. In China, I studied with the 6-yearBon Jovi; and portraits of everyone from Marilyn Monroe to John F. Kennedy, old daughter of a street artist. Then in Israel, my mother hooked me up with all done in the artist’s distinctive style. “When you’re a singer and you have a a famous art professor from Austria. After we left Israel and moved to Paris, really great voice, it’s not like you create a voice—it’s just there. My art is just my mother signed me up for the classes for kids at the Louvre. And when we there,” says Max. “I just put the brush on paper and I don’t even know what I’m came to America, I found a private teacher, Frank Reilly [at the Art Students doing, but I know it’s going to come out great. Twenty-four seven, creativity, League of New York]; after high school I used to go into the city and I studied creativity, creativity—it’s all I do. I draw on airplanes, I draw in limousines, I with him. Frank Reilly went to that school 30 years earlier, and the kid who draw when I wake up in the morning… and in taxicabs!” used to sit beside him was Norman Rockwell. So Norman Rockwell and Beyond the studio, Max is a longtime vegetarian and practices yoga and Frank Reilly studied together and Rockwell became Rockwell; Reilly became meditation daily—a part of his routine for more than 40 years. He also gives Peter Max’s teacher. Then I hooked up with some people with certain art freely of his time, money, and art to benefit animal charities such as The schools who were very design-oriented. Humane Society of the US and the equine rescue organization Wild for Life For someone who studied realism, your painting style is not necessarFoundation. By his side in all of it is his wife of 17 years, Mary Max, whom the ily realist.… artist calls one of his greatest inspirations. “When I met her, it fueled me, and No, I’m kind of impressionistic. Realism gave me the skill to paint, but my she still fuels me today,” he says of his partner, whom he spotted one day while eye was more into design-ery art.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIC RYAN ANDERSON; OPPOSITE PAGE: SANTI VISALLI/GETTY IMAGES

—PETER MAX

Artist Peter Max in 1967—the early days of his career.

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Max visiting The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in the late 1960s.

“I always daydreamed about America as a child growing up in Shanghai. I was mesmerized with American culture through comic books, American jazz radio, and the Hollywood movies.” Posing with Larry King in front of a Peter Max painting honoring King’s 50 years of broadcasting (2007).

The Art Students League has produced some very famous alumni including Jackson Pollock and Cy Twombly. Ever have any celebrity encounters? I once met Marilyn Monroe. The steps to the street were very narrow, and some of the students used to sit on them. I sat there one day with a friend of mine and I see this girl walking by, and I did a double take. I said to my friend, “It’s Marilyn Monroe.” And as she’s walking by, she turns to me and says, “I like your pants”—I had a lot of paint on my pants—and then she kept on walking. She was so stunning; all her features were just perfect.

I GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS Many would recognize your paintings of the Statue of Liberty or the “Love” series. What do you consider your most defining piece of art? There are so many. Painting the Statue of Liberty was a big thing because it’s an emblem; it’s the symbol for the United States of America, so it got so much attention. Then I’ve painted so many unbelievable people, like the Dalai Lama, John F. Kennedy, I mean, close to 800. You’ve also painted portraits of all of the Beatles, who also just

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celebrated 50 years in America. Over the years, your work has been linked many times to the band—tell us more about that relationship. I met John [Lennon] way, way back, and I was best friends with Yoko Ono. One day I read in the paper that my little friend Yoko was going out with John. I knew John, I knew Yoko; I could have introduced them in a second. I called her up and she said, “Yeah, John tells me he knows you really well.” I used to go pick both of them up at the Dakota, where she lives, and we used to go to Central Park. We used to walk around and bullshit and talk and sing songs. Here in your studio, you have a colorful piano that’s signed “To Peter, Love Ringo….” I did a Baldwin piano for Ringo Starr, and he loved it. Then Baldwin called me up and said, “We love it so much, we’re going to send you a piano.” Two days later, they deliver it, the guys assemble it, and I roll out my paints and start painting the piano beautiful colors. Just as I’m finishing, my girl comes from the front desk and says, “Your buddy Ringo is here.” Ringo had been uptown and wanted to say thanks; instead he said, “I like yours better!” and I said, “No, Ringo, yours is the first; it’s the nicest.” He asked if I had paints and I said, “Do I have paints!” We roll out a cart of paints, and he writes, “To Peter, Love Ringo,” followed by a star. There’s a photo on top of the piano of you and Ringo. Was it another famous Beatle, Paul McCartney, who turned you on to vegetarianism? Paul and I became vegetarians at the same time. I’ve been a vegetarian now

PHOTOGRAPHY BY EVAN AGOSTINI/GETTY IMAGES (KING); COPYRIGHT PETER MAX 2014 (CARSON)

—PETER MAX

for over 40 years, and I’m only 38. [Laughs] I’ve had everybody up here in the studio—from Mick Jagger a couple of times to Ringo Starr to Paul McCartney—they’ve all been up here, they’re all my friends. We hang out; I’ve been very lucky. Is it true that you also have a DJ who works here in your studio? Yes—Joe. I have two or three radio stations I like, and he has certain CDs he’s made for me. He plays for me all good contemporary music—jazz, bebop, fusion jazz, certain rock ’n’ roll. When I start painting, the music is on and I’m just in the groove. Music inspires my whole will to paint, the will to be creative—it fuels the creativity. You worked with George Harrison on the Integral Yoga Institute, a yoga center and ashram in New York’s Greenwich Village based on the teachings of Sri Swami Satchidananda, whom you brought to America in 1966. Was it George who introduced you to the Swami? No, George was involved with the Maharishi out of England. George and I talked about my Satchidananda and his Maharishi, and we introduced each other to the other guys. The institute teaches how to go into meditation, get your mind focused, do stretching, become a vegan—a lot of health, behavioral, and mental benefits that have changed my whole life. How did you first meet Swami Satchidananda? Conrad Rooks, who was the Avon cosmetics heir—he was a billionaire kid— called me one day when I was still in my early 20s, and he wanted me to come to Paris to help him with the colors on a film he was going to make. A day or two later, I pack a little bag, my driver drops me off at Kennedy Airport, and I go to Paris. Conrad picks me up from the airport and we’re hanging out in the restaurant at the hotel that he’s staying in, and then in comes the Swami— long beard, beautiful long black hair, gorgeous eyes—and Conrad introduces me to him. After spending a day with the Swami, I knew I had to bring him to New York. All my hippie buddies were taking LSD, and I was thinking, This is the man we need to be with, not this other stuff. I brought him to America and I opened yoga centers for him.

Peter Max (c. 1969) showcases the clock art he designed for General Electric.

THE BEST IS YET TO COME Over your career, you’ve accomplished so much. Is there something—a goal—you have yet to achieve? I’m always being creative; that’s full-time. And I’ve been listening to music very intensely my whole life, but especially in the last 36 months because I’ve been collecting music for [my] seven feature films and animation. Characters and stories—I have so many. The only thing I hadn’t collected was music, so I called my friends—Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Bon Jovi—everyone I knew, and I got about 175,000, 200,000 songs on these little iPods. Everything that’s pop-y is five stars, and if it’s a great piece but a little melodic, four stars. Everything that’s four and five stars is going into the films. Out of 200,000 pieces of music, I selected about 3,000 or 4,000 that I adore. Have you ever thought about retiring? I’ve been retired since I was 20. [Laughs] Retiring is getting to do completely what you love, right? It’s not like sitting in a chair somewhere. This is a nice life—it’s creative, colors, music, and people. I love it. LAC

This “Love” image from the 1960s was inspired by the spirit of the decade and is among Max’s best known.

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THIS ROW, FROM LEFT: Jibade-Khalil Huffman creates what he calls “long poems”—wall- and room-size images using text, photography, video, and performance; A.L. Steiner’s work explores everything from gender identity to community activism; Channing Hansen’s Polytope Soap, 2013, incorporates handspun and dyed wool, holographic polymers, yak down, and silk noils; Lecia Dole-Recio’s practice includes elements of both painting and collage.

Made in THIS ROW, FROM LEFT:

Tala Madani came to LA for a two-week vacation—and stayed. Balding, paunchy men are the subjects of her latest paintings; one of Juan Capistrán’s newest pieces—a politically charged photo of his wife’s hand holding a paper rock—was made into a billboard that’s off the 10 Freeway; Samara Golden’s installations focus on what she calls “the sixth dimension,” where past, present and future collide; Gabriel Kuri’s Two Nudes Two Points, 2013, is composed of marble slabs and crushed aluminum cans. 102 LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM

ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSHUA WHITE (HANSEN); MIGUEL ABREU GALLERY, NEW YORK (KURI)

As institutional goliaths LACMA, MOCA, and the Getty battle for curatorial control of “Art City, USA,” the little Hammer Museum launches the event of the summer. Showcasing 35 exquisitely curated homegrown artists, who work in a provocative array of media, “Made in L.A. 2014” and the Hammer up the city’s art game once again. By Michael Herren | Photography by Brad Swonetz

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IGHTS! CAMERA! ART! Role ’em: a performance-based piece of the Arts), and a handful of cutting-edge galleries, Ferus Gallery first and with a cast of characters that sounds foremost among them. like a setup for a crude (but not necessarily unfunny) joke involving a here was also space and the distance to experiment far from stuntman, a stutterer, a sign-language New York, the center of the art market and art world when such interpreter, a comedian, a child, and a theater director? Or two potters who monikers had meaning; and s-p-a-c-e, the surf of the Pacific, the have shared marriage, artistic collaboration, and a studio for more than half a turf of the hills and valleys, and the sun-kissed horizontals, as century—without major breakage? A Russian-born photographer inspired by particular as they are inspiring. And there were those who were Dutch fabrics of African designs, a painter who reproduces vintage 1970s and inspired. Some, such as Ed Ruscha, David Hockney, and John Baldessari, ’80s porn production stills (many of which were shot before she was born), or a have become world famous, their work part of global cultural currency. Many knitter who first dyes and spins fibers before weaving them into patterns deter- others—Betye Saar, Judith Baca, Maria Nordman, and Judy Chicago (to sing mined by a bossy computer algorithm? out but four women among hundreds of artists of both genders)—have Such are trailers and teasers for some of the artists—and their works past and remained lesser known but highly influential. present—in “Made in L.A. 2014,” the second biennial arts-a-palooza at the In short, it was a postwar, site-specific, utterly unique, creative “Big Bang,” Hammer Museum, on view through September 7. Focusing on work created one that made Los Angeles a production center for contemporary art and the in the Los Angeles region and with an emphasis on emerging and under-rec- genesis and development of which were extensively chronicled two years ago ognized artists, the artful extravaganza was curated by Connie Butler, in her by “Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980”—a Getty initiative and culfirst exhibition as the museum’s new chief curator, and independent curator tural collusion on a colossal scale that involved the collaboration of more than Michael Ned Holte, who also counts the exhibition as his first “Hammertime.” 60 arts institutions and 68 coordinated exhibitions. What the city lacked in As with most biennial surveys, such as the Whitney Biennial in New York, those early days, however, was an arts infrastructure to match its artistic outwhich ended in May, and the Venice Biennale, which opens in May 2015, the put—a critical mass of museums, galleries, curators, critics, collectors, goal of “Made in L.A. 2014” is hardly encyclopedic. “Of course it can’t be com- enthusiasts, and connected communities of artists that could fuel one another prehensive,” says Butler, with Holte adding, “Lots of good artists aren’t and thereby create an art scene. An art world. included.” Rather the exhibition, which features 35 artists and collectives culled from hundreds of studio visits, aims to develop a snapshot, or in Butler’s NO LONGER. words, “a core sample” of what she and Holte are seeing right now, right here, As any stroller on a Downtown Art Walk, museum visitor, art press in the city and its immediate environs. peruser, or casual culture vulture can attest, after smoldering for years, No easy task. But as any development executive in Hollywood will the city’s arts scene is a red-hot conflagration. Not only have cornerstone explain, before you can understand the scene, an appreciation of the story museums like LACMA, MOCA, the Getty, and the Norton Simon is in order. And the story of postwar and contemporary art in attained the institutional confidence and clout of middleLA is a blockbuster. In the decades following World War aged maturity, they, along with the relative youngster II, a quake of artistic activity rocked the Left Coast Hammer, continue to innovate with the vigor of from Santa Barbara to San Diego. youth—even to grow. There were art manifestos and movements LACMA added the 45,000-square-foot Resnick PHILIPPE VERGNE, aplenty: “Light and Space” making “Finish Fetish” Exhibition Pavilion in 2010, following the 2008 director of MOCA: gleam all the more brilliantly while giving extra addition of the 72,000-square-foot Broad snap to “LA Pop,” to name but three. There was Contemporary Art Museum, and last December, What’s most inspiring artistic rebellion and art enlisted for political announced the launch of the Art + Technology about the LA art world? ends, such as the Chicano Art Movement, the Lab, which supports artist experiments with “Freedom of feminist happenings at the Woman’s Building, technology. The Getty Foundation is planning a experimentation…. The the films of the African American L.A. 2017 sequel extraordinaire to the 2011-2012 absence of fear and the will to Rebellion. There were top-palette professional “Pacific Standard Time,” to be called “Pacific be a neologism.” art schools, among them the Art Center College Standard Time: L.A./L.A.,” exploring the relaof Design, Otis College of Art and Design, tionship between Los Angeles and Latin America. Chouinard Art Institute (now the California Institute continued on page 107

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“[MOVING THROUGH LA] WE’RE CONSTANTLY SHIFTING THROUGH LIGHT, SPACE, THE GRID...”

The Art-chitect Lecia Dole-Recio

“T

Lecia Dole-Recio photographed at her Echo Park studio.

he way we move through the city, we’re constantly shifting through light, space, the grid, various architectures, and sounds,” says Lecia Dole-Recio, explaining what makes LA both particular and particularly inspiring as her base. “Where else would we get to see The Sweet and Tender Hooligans, an amazing Latino cover band of The Smiths?” Born in NorCal, reared in SoCal, and educated between Rhode Island and Pasadena, Dole-Recio creates work that displays a similarly intriguing palimpsest of layers and confluence of influences. Not precisely paintings and not exactly collages, but displaying elements of both (as well as of drawing and architecture), her oeuvre is spare, delicate, intentionally imperfect, and created by a labor-intensive process the artist likens to an ancient Roman building technique called spolia, in which old bricks, stones or stone reliefs are incorporated into new structures. “I’m interested in how the painting/ collage becomes a temporal index of gestures and decisions when I include tools from my studio in the pieces themselves,” says Dole-Recio, a formalist at heart and self-proclaimed Goth who has an abiding interest in perspective, geometric abstraction, and space in general. Her gamut of influences is just as varied—from Jasper Johns (“His ‘Catenary’ paintings are incredible.”), Matisse, Gordon MattaClark, and David Cronenberg to 20th-century Viennese furniture, the nightclub in Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samouraï, and Wayne Koestenbaum’s “Excitement” essay on Frank O’Hara. “[It’s] a wonderful take on the energy in his work, but also Koestenbaum’s excitement for O’Hara’s excitement,” she says. “I’m feeling very committed to being enthusiastic about process.”

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“YOU COULD LIVE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, BUT IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A COMMUNITY, LA IS THE MOST RESOURCE-FILLED CITY IN THE COUNTRY.”

The Text Addict Jibade-Khalil Huffman

ibade-Khalil Huffman works with text, photography, video, and performance to create room- and wall-sized installations, such as the piece he’s presenting at “Made in L.A. 2014.” But that’s not necessarily how he sees them. “To most people, they look like large-scale video installations, and that’s cool. But I’m thinking about the entire piece as text, about language, sound, and image without hierarchy,” says Huffman. “Basically, I’m making these long poems.” The artist’s ties to text go far back. Born in 1981 in Detroit, Huffman moved at age 10 to Clearwater, Florida, and as a teen attended an arts high school with a discrete writing program. “I hated Florida, especially in high school. I couldn’t wait to get out and vowed never to go back—which invariably means it became the backdrop for all I wrote in college,” he says, humor evident. College was at Bard, followed by an MFA in poetry at Brown, four years in New York, several books of poems, and a move to Los Angeles in 2011 for an MFA at USC. “I became an artist who experiments with text, as opposed to a writer who experiments with different forms of art,” he says, adding that while his subjects change by project, themes such as boredom and suburbia continue to resonate from the Sunshine State. It’s a resonance that, to a degree, extends to Los Angeles and increases the city’s appeal for Huffman. “As an artist, you could live in the middle of nowhere, get a job, earn a living, and make as much work as you can, but if you want to live as an artist, to have a community, LA is the easiest, most comfortable, resource-filled city in the country,” says Huffman, whose forthcoming book, Sleeper Hold (Fence, 2014), will be released later this year. “Then there’s the landscape, the flat space, and suburbia too.”

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Jibade-Khalil Huffman photographed at his Highland Park studio.

MARIA ARENA BELL, president-at-large of P.S. Arts and MOCA board member: continued from page 104 not-for-profit arts organizations, artist-run iniAnd a new $140 million, 120,000- square-foot What energizes you about the tiatives, art blogs, and, most on point for contemporary art museum, The Broad, is LA art scene? “Made in L.A.,” the number of working artists scheduled to open next year. “So many artists from around the (still lured by s-p-a-c-e as well as very cheap Well-established international art fairs are world are moving to LA. It’s a rents relative to other major art cities). also testing LA waters. Paris Photo Los great lifestyle, there’s still space Angeles, the first satellite of the well-estabfor them to work, and they can lished photography fair Paris Photo, held its mid all this, there’s the Hammer. afford to take risks.” second successful edition last April, where Following its opening in 1990 and a 16,000 visitors (among them Hollywood heavies fraught first decade involving Brad Pitt, Judd Apatow, and Gwyneth Paltrow) finances and direction, this youngest perused the offerings of 81 dealers over a four-day period. of the city’s major museums has And bigger still, FIAC LA, the first satellite of France’s biggest modemerged under the savvy direction of Ann Philbin as one of the coolest cultural ern and contemporary art fair, and among the world’s most important, cats not just in town or in Cali, but in the country. It’s done so by staying local, will have its inaugural run in April of 2015. Meanwhile, the number of keeping a tight connection with LA artists, the arts community, and the comgalleries, both homegrown and out-of-town, continues to multiply, as do munity in general while simultaneously keeping a Big Picture perspective. continued on page 108

la’s class of 2014

The other artists in the Hammer biennial you won’t want to (and can’t!) miss. Danielle Dean, 32 Reared in the UK, Dean creates videos that slyly comment on American society by incorporating material from advertising, pop culture, and the news media. Harry Dodge, 48 Dodge explores the notion of alternate realities via video, sculpture, and drawing. Kim Fisher, 41 Fisher’s abstract works owe a debt to collage, with layers of oil, canvas, and magazine scraps.

Gerard, 36 & Kelly, 37 Brennan Gerard and Ryan Kelly’s dance pieces speak to the fluidity of identity. Piero Golia, 40 Golia’s ambitious installations include a massive glowing orb built for The Standard hotel rooftop. Marcia Hafif, 85 Hafif is known for her 40-year series of monochromatic paintings, which document the colors and moods of her daily life.

Judy Fiskin, 69 Through photography and film, Fiskin documents universal topics like death and reinvention.

Channing Hansen, 42 Hansen’s silk and wool pieces are knit and dyed by hand, each pattern determined by a computer.

Magdalena Suarez Frimkess, 85 and Michael Frimkess, 77 For 50 years, this husband/wife team has been making ceramics— he throws the pots, she paints them.

Barry Johnston, 34 A sculptor/writer/performer with an anarchistic bent, Johnston explores the power of collective action.

Mariah Garnett, 34 The relationship between cinema and self is a key theme in Garnett’s videos.

Devin Kenny, 27 Kenny comments on contemporary culture through music, fashion, writing, and performance.

Gabriel Kuri, 44 Kuri’s stark sculptures combine materials both natural (stones, shells) and mass-produced (soda cans, ashtrays). Caitlin Lonegan, 32 Known for her deliberate method of abstract painting, Lonegan carefully considers each brushstroke—some canvases take more than a year to complete. Max Maslansky, 38 Maslanky’s latest paintings are rendered on thrift-store bedsheets, blurrily depicting couples in intimate moments. Emily Mast, 38 Mast’s experimental works of theater often star unexpected casts (children, pregnant women). Jennifer Moon, 41 After two years in prison, Moon launched The Revolution— a movement that aims to foster global love via art. Brian O’Connell, 42 O’Connell’s work is highly ex-

perimental—from building a boat from beach sand to mining obscure photography techniques. Harsh Patel, 33 Patel’s zines, drawings, and objects examine the role of symbols in pop culture. Marina Pinksy, 28 Pinksy edits and layers photos— both film and digital—to illustrate themes like the passage of time. Sarah Rara, 31 Rara makes hypnotic videos combining atmospheric music with mesmerizing color and images. Ricky Swallow, 40 Swallow’s latest work consists of small, abstract cardboard sculptures cast in bronze. Clarissa Tossin, 41 For her most recent project, Tossin compares her modernist hometown of Brasilia with her adopted city of LA.

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continued from page 107 n addition to “Hammer Projects,” which has provided scores of emerging local and international artists with space to make and exhibit work, the Hammer annually hosts more than 250 public programs: readings, performances, film screenings, lectures, and dialogues, such as the remarkable “Hammer Conversations” series, which has included the likes of Joan Didion, Frank Gehry, David Mamet, Gore Vidal… the list goes on and on. Nor are the youngest members of the community neglected: the Kids’ Art Museum Project (K.A.M.P.) is an annual workshop for children led by Los Angeles art stars like Catherine Opie, Edgar Arceneaux, and Mark Grotjahn. And oh, everything—including general admission as of last February—is absolutely free. It’s a catalog of characteristics and commitments that, augmented by an annual operating budget of $18 million (more than that of far larger arts institutions in town, such as MOCA) and estimated annual attendance that grew from 150,000 in 2009 to 200,000 last year, makes the Hammer a choice platform for the here and now in LA’s arts scene.

STAR CURATED

The first show to make use of the Hammer’s entire exhibition space— “and then some,” adds Butler, explaining that work will also be shown not just in galleries, but in connecting corridors and the central courtyard as well—“Made in L.A. 2014” includes 35 artists distinct in their media, praxis, politics, interests, obsessions, and points of origin (from Los Angeles and other areas of the United States to Australia, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, and Venezuela). The show also represents a spectrum of ages (a separation of more than 50 years), colors, creeds (or the negation thereof), sexual orientations, and gender identifications. What’s this all add up to? Not only does “Made in L.A. 2014” reflect the various microcosms and microclimates of Los Angeles, the parts mirroring an ever-changing whole, it’s a show that will in itself contribute substantially to that whole. It’s a show that, therefore, shouldn’t be missed. “Made in L.A. 2014” will be on view through September 7 at the Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., LA, 310-443-7000; hammer.ucla.edu LAC

Curators Michael Ned Holte and Connie Butler at the Hammer Museum.

Meet the art-smart maestros behind the megashow.

“M

ade in L.A.” curators Connie Butler and Michael Ned Holte have come to appreciate LA’s arty allure from very different perspectives, places, and professional trajectories. The Straight Path: Reared and educated in Los Angeles and its environs, at the Marlborough School and Scripps College, Butler peregrinated east in the early ’90s, where her curatorial positions included the Artists Space in New York. Returning to LA, she made her professional bones at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), executing wallop-packed exhibitions such as “Wack! Art and the Feminist Revolution.” After a seven-year stint at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in NYC, Butler was appointed last April to co-curate “Made in L.A. 2014” upon the withdrawal of the late Karin Higa for health reasons; she was named the Hammer’s chief curator the following month. The Winding Road Less Traveled: Holte hails from Janesville, Wisconsin. Majoring in film at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he moved west in 1995, received his MA in art theory and criticism from Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design in 2004, and has worked subsequently as an LA-based writer, teacher, and independent curator. The two

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first met in 2004: “It was at MOCA. I was writing my master’s thesis on Robert Smithson [a minimalist sculptor and pioneer of earthworks, or land art] and Connie was co-curating the Robert Smithson exhibition,” Holte remembers. Before accepting their appointments as curators, both Butler and Holte pondered the relevance or need for a local biennial at a time when the art world has gone global, where information streams easily and endlessly and is no longer tied to or restricted by physical location. Their conclusion? That the rapid rise in the number of LA artists, curators, and critics had resulted “in a constantly evolving audience for art in the city as well as new communities and networks of artists,” as they wrote in the exhibition catalog’s introduction. Unique, transitory, significant, it’s a world that can shift suddenly and seismically—making a snapshot well worth the effort. Transplanted Midwesterner Holte, however, has a far more poetic metaphor. As a newbie to LA, he’d been surprised that the

much-touted SoCal climate was incredibly diverse, often within very close physical proximities. And so, as he concludes his catalog essay “Microclimates,” it’s his hope that the exhibition will “describe the larger atmospheric condition of the city’s art world by spotlighting the number of diverse idiosyncratic microclimates that define it.”

The Alternate Realist | Samara Golden

“T

here’s a kind of artist who thinks of something and executes it. I’m the opposite,” says Samara Golden, whose multisensory, multidimensional installations are often enveloping, alternate realities that incorporate materials such as mirrors, video monitors, foam, Plexiglas, and silvery, reflective Rmax insulation. “I approach something piece by piece, and it becomes itself through many different states.” But since before her 2007 seminal project, “Power Ballad,” in which she sought to express the turmoil of confusion, Golden has become equally concerned with the addition of a nonphysical component to her work, one that can’t be seen or touched but sensed. She calls it the sixth dimension, where a multitude of pasts, presents, and futures, as well as their myriad possibilities, are happening at once and in one location. “It’s a convocation, a spirit in the room, a kind of time travel that can be summoned by all the parts in conversation with one

another,” explains Golden. “Obviously it’s not based on physics, it’s just my way to talk about my aim, which is to reach a high emotional peak.” Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1973, the Columbia MFA grad moved from New York to Los Angeles five years ago, accompanying a boyfriend bound for graduate school. “It was right at the beginning of the economic crash, and I really hated it at first. But now I really like it,” says the artist, who in those five years has lived in five different places, and who originally had hoped Los Angeles would more closely resemble the city as seen in TV and films from the 1970s and ’80s. “I wanted to see the fantasy, the cinematic possibility, which I find inspiring, and be in a more expansive place.” As for how Los Angeles has affected her work, which has been exhibited at LACMA, MOCA, and Frieze New York, she says, “It’s given me space to develop ideas away from others’ opinions… time to make my work without knowing what it is or will be.”

“LA’S AN EXPANSIVE PLACE…. IT’S GIVEN ME SPACE TO DEVELOP IDEAS AWAY FROM OTHERS’ OPINIONS.”

Samara Golden photographed at her Downtown Los Angeles studio.

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TIMOTHY POTTS, director of the J. Paul Getty Museum What’s most emblematic of LA’s cultural landscape? “There is a uniquely multicultural quality to the community of artists and the work they produce. This brings a richness of outlook not matched anywhere.”

The Gender Renderer | Tala Madani

“L

os Angeles doesn’t ask you to love it, it’s just there for you. Palm trees in concrete!” says Tala Madani, an internationally recognized talent who’s showing her work here for the first time at “Made in L.A. 2014.” Her paintings, drawings, and stop-motion animations of men—balding, paunchy and Middle Eastern—characterize, caricature, criticize, and sometimes even humanize the general buffoonery of the male gender (often in soft-hued pastels and bearing art-history references to color field painting, action painting, and expressionist works by icons such as Helen Frankenthaler). Born in Tehran in 1981, at age 15 Madani moved with her mother to Oregon. After becoming not just proficient but eloquent in English (“It wasn’t very good at all when I arrived.”) and graduating from Oregon State University with a degree in political science and visual arts, she moved cross-country to New Haven, where she earned her MFA in painting at Yale, two years that she calls “hard and great.” It was only afterward, at “the conclusion of thinking, experimenting, of trial and error” during her four subsequent years in Amsterdam, which included a residency at the prestigious Rijksakademie, that Madani’s focus turned to what she’s called the phenomena of men. “I found it freeing, invigorating, a way to explore and play with stereotypes and what creates them,” she says, adding, “I don’t judge inadequacy, I create space for it.” Nor does Madani, who moved to Los Angeles three years ago with her partner, British artist Nathaniel Mellors, condemn sudden seismic shifts in domicile. “We came to LA for a two-week vacation in June, and by September we were living in a house in Mount Washington,” she says, laughing.

“I DON’T JUDGE INADEQUACY, I CREATE SPACE FOR IT.”

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Tala Madani photographed at her Eagle Rock studio.

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Members of the hyper-local KCHUNG Radio, an all-volunteer cooperative of musicians, artists, poets, and painters, photographed at their studio near Chinatown.

ABSOLUTELY COLLAB-ULOUS

E pluribus artem! In LA, making—and showing—art can be a social affair.

hat surprises did the curators’ “core samples” of the current LA art world reveal? As the catalog notes: “‘Made in L.A. 2014’ represents our awareness and interest in the city’s artistdriven discourse, and the recent proliferation of collective or collaborative tactics in making and showing art.” Or in other words, them artists aren’t just talkin’ with each other, they’re either makin’ stuff together, showin’ it together, or both—and doing so in novel ways and via innovative platforms. Take the airwaves: KCHUNG Radio broadcasts live at 1630 AM from its studio on the border of Chinatown. Never mind that the reception radius for its 100-milliwatt transmitter is but a few blocks; the more than 100 DJs—artists of all natures, painters, poets, tambourine players—get their ideas out loud and proud. KCHUNG (pronounced KAY-chung) blasts over 100 shows each month—and also broadcasts from bars and bookstores—on subjects ranging from meditation guidance to experimental noise performances to whatever the host would like to present. Nonhierarchical in

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structure, KCHUNG is a cooperative, meaning anyone can sign up to be a DJ. Just be prepared to weather the wait list. Two amusingly named micro-institutions also fit the communal bill. The Museum of Public Fiction hosts three-month exhibitions, with performance events ranging from the more expected, such as talks, lectures, and music, to secret restaurants and clubs—theatricality of all kinds. The exhibitions always explore a central theme, and when they end, Public Fiction founder Lauren Mackler publishes a journal on the same topic, one chronicling the exhibition as well as related events that happened in and around LA during the same period. Judging from its august name, the Los

PAUL AND MAURICE MARCIANO, art patrons and co-founders of Guess What excites you about the art in LA? “The city allows for and encourages the crossover of film, art, and fashion. Artists sense real excitement and support from Angelenos!”

Angeles Museum of Art (LAMOA), visitors might expect a columned Beaux-Arts building like those in Exposition Park. What they would find is a 13-foot-long pavilion in a paved yard in Eagle Rock. Hand-built by sculptor Alice Könitz, LAMOA’s founder and entire staff, the modular wooden structure is both a work of art as well as a platform in which invited artists can exhibit work created specifically for the space. Defying easy categorization, the James Kidd Studio follows the steps of dancer, choreographer, and costume designer Jmy James Kidd, and includes her individual practice; her company, The Sunland Dancers; and Pieter, a dance studio and performance lab in Lincoln Heights. Pieter also serves as a venue for exhibitions, workshops, residencies, and even a barter-based boutique for clothes, books, household goods, and artwork. Additionally, “Made in L.A. 2014” will exhibit “Tony Greene: Amid Voluptuous Calm,” a historical show of gay and lesbian artists working in close proximity in the late 1980s and early 1990s—proof that in LA, going social has always been in style.

A self-portrait of Wu Tsang, photographed at the Isabella Bortolozzi Gallery in Berlin.

The Video Trans-Former | Wu Tsang

PHOTOGRAPHY BY WU TSANG

“L

os Angeles is one of the few places in the Western Hemisphere that offers first-class—for lack of a better term—access to cultural and civic life while still being affordable,” says Wu Tsang, a 32-yearold UCLA MFA grad whose work includes performance, events, installation, film, and video. “You can have cheap rent, space to work, and time—and not feel like you are compromising in any way in terms of participating in an international cultural dialogue.” Universal dialogue is indeed immediately evident in Tsang’s work, which is often collaborative and focused on questions of perception and experience—questions such as who is speaking for whom; whose voices are heard; whose voices are silenced? As Tsang explains, “I’m someone who experiences the world as a mixed-race transgender person, which also means that I experience the world as a variety of other things that I may not identify as, identities people put on me. I think a lot of people, to varying degrees, have to negotiate the world this way.” Examples of how this exploration translates

to Tsang’s work include “Pilot Television”—a large-scale collab Tsang cornerstoned in 2005 following his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago—which he describes as “a two-day convergence in which more than 200 people came together to collectively produce artist-television shows, videos, and live performances.” More recently, there’s Wildness, Tsang’s 74-minute video inspired by the Silver Platter, a MacArthur Park nightclub that has served LA’s Latin/LGBT community for more than 50 years and which was catalyzed by a weekly venue—also called Wildness—for performance art and partying produced by Tsang along with DJs Nguzunguzu and Total Freedom from 2008 through 2010. “As a filmmaker, LA is a great place to live because there are so many amazingly talented people to collaborate with,” says the artist, whose work has been shown at the Whitney Museum, the New Museum, and MOCA. “Often people in the movie industry are excited to collaborate with artists and generous with their resources….It’s a different experience than they have in their everyday [lives].”

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The Artist Provocateur Juan Capistrán

“A

rt to question, art to challenge, art as resistance and as dialogue, that’s what attracted me as a kid. I was a hopeless romantic,” says Juan Capistrán, whose multidisciplinary practice continues to find fuel in these quixotic principles as well as focusing on subversively critiquing the current power structure and status quo. Whatever the medium, which for Capistrán ranges widely depending on the project at hand, his approach and process can be compared to his early days as a DJ: “This is back when there were just two turntables… you had an A and B conversation, seeing where the source material could be combined, where it interlocked, and where it didn’t, where it broke down; I’m interested in those gray areas, which mirror what we do and how we function in society.” It’s a dialogue of hybridization with which Capistrán has had a firsthand acquaintance over his lifetime. Born in 1976 in Guadalajara, Mexico, he was 3 when his family moved to Los Angeles, first to Venice Beach and soon afterward to South Central. “I had an African-American filter, but I’m not black, and I live in the United States as a person of color,” he says. It’s also a dialogue of hybridization that, for Capistrán, is highly personal in other ways as well— reflecting his passion for peripheries and undergrounds that stretch back to the punk rock and graffiti of his adolescence. “In junior high, you either had no identity and no protection, or you joined a gang, or you did graffiti.” From his particular mix have come multilayered, cross-referencing works such as …my hobby is throwing stones (foolishness can move mountains), 2014. One side of the piece is a photograph of his wife’s hand holding a paper rock; the image’s reverse side is a quote from Camus discussing the individual’s role in the quest for social justice, which Capistrán has edited to refer to the community’s role. The title refers to a 2013 New York Times article about West Bank Palestinian youths throwing stones, the only weapon readily at hand, at Israelis; and in the photograph’s background, behind the hand and the rock, stands the former headquarters of the Black Panthers. “Right now [the piece] is a billboard off the 10 Freeway at Robertson,” says the artist, a UC Irvine MFA grad whose work has been shown in both the US and Mexico. Hence the power of the hybridized idea.

“IN JUNIOR HIGH, YOU EITHER HAD NO IDENTITY AND NO PROTECTION, OR YOU JOINED A GANG, OR YOU DID GRAFFITI.”

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STEVEN KOBLIK, president of The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens: What is most surprising about art and artists in the city? “LA cannot be stereotyped as just the land of palm trees and beach babes. It is one of the greatest megalopolises in the world to look at art from all cultures and eras. Paradise? Dystopia? ‘Paratopia!’”

Juan Capistrán photographed at his Los Angeles studio.

“[MY MOTHER] FOUND AGENCY WITHIN HERSELF AS OPPOSED TO LEARNING THROUGH INSTITUTIONS. I REALLY ADMIRE THAT.”

A.L. Steiner photographed at her Los Angeles studio.

The Androgyne-ologist | A.L. Steiner

he artist A.L. Steiner defines “androgyne” as a form of gender identity that is malleable, flexible, and, above all, open, “which is maybe where I want to be left… my work, too,” she says. That work—intellectually provocative, politically charged, personal, and often collaborative and humorously perverse— spans a range of media, including film, video, performance, collage, and photography, a medium Steiner has explored creatively since her undergraduate years at George Washington University, where she majored in communication. “I built darkrooms practically everywhere I’ve lived in since,” she says. Born in Miami in 1967, Steiner grew up surrounded by art and artists. “My mom had a gallery long before Miami had an art scene;

she passionately grew her interest and was self-taught,” says Steiner. “She found agency within herself as opposed to learning through institutions. I really admire that.” Steiner, too, found a path in the arts through her own agency. As a cofounder of Working Artists and the Greater Economy (W.A.G.E.), collective member of Chicks on Speed, and cocurator of “Ridykeulous,” she has combined community activism and direct action, an acute awareness of messaging within mass media and mainstream culture, and pedagogy. Following college, Steiner worked in Washington, DC, San Francisco, and New York for and with HIV/AIDS service organizations and activist groups such as Queer Nation and Lesbian Avengers.

Concurrent with her private photographic practice, which resulted in shows at such venues as New York’s White Columns, she also worked in commercial photography, as a photo editor for Vogue, O, The Oprah Magazine, and Entertainment Tonight. She also became increasingly interested in teaching, which is ultimately what brought her to Los Angeles after 18 years in New York. “I was back and forth for a few years, teaching classes at UCLA, and eventually moved in 2011 to teach at USC,” she says, adding that while she misses New York profoundly and finds LA totally illogical, “There’s also a lot of community support—a whole not-for-profit industrial complex—that has emerged over the last 10 years or so, and that’s incredibly exciting.” LAC

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THE ARTS DELIVERED. IN BEVERLY HILLS. Located in the heart of Beverly Hills, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Wallis) ofcially opened its doors to the public in October 2013. This new venue transformed a Beverly Hills city block, facing Santa Monica Boulevard, between Crescent and Canon Drives, into a vibrant new cultural destination with two distinct, elegant buildings: the historic 1933 Italianate-style Beverly Hills Post Ofce and the new, contemporary 500-seat, state-ofthe-art Goldsmith Theater. The entertainment destination that you had been waiting for is here. No more battling trafc to get across town for a concert or play. With the most convenient parking in town, some of the best 5-star restaurants and hotels in Los Angeles and luxury shopping all within walking distance, The Wallis is an arts loverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dream come true. Producing and presenting the best in theater, music, dance and family programming, The Wallis will open its 2014 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2015 Season this September.

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Haute Property NEWS, STARS AND TRENDS IN REAL ESTATE

Home, Sweet Museum FOR LA’S ART-CRAZED COLLECTORS, HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS. BY KATHY A. MCDONALD

À la mod! This glass, steel, and stone Bird Street contemporary—on the market for $38 million—was specially designed by builder Sean Sassounian to highlight his own covetable art collection as well as curated pieces from the Kohn Gallery.

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Beverly Hills; the holdings are more easily glimpsed on the walls of the CAA founder’s two eateries, Hamasaku and Ink.) Ultimately, what every collector seeks is a space where his or her art can shine without distraction. “There are certain houses that lend themselves to the presentation of art,” says The Agency’s Billy Rose (theagencyre.com). “Clients have an expectation of what that looks like.” Increasingly, luxury home builders are considering the needs of art collectors as potential buyers. Ultra-high-end spec projects often incorporate elements integral to purpose-built gallery

spaces, such as versatile inset spot lighting, indirect light sources, automated smart-home system controls (for temperature and security), and vast wall expanses. Rose is representing a 10,000-square-foot Holmby Hills compound (asking price: $12.5 million), complete with 14-foot-high ceilings and a soaring, 34-foot-high central gallery, where art can be presented in a grand fashion. However, the ideal display is very personal and not the same for every collector (much the same as the individual art choices). A well-proportioned space, without a lot of architectural flourishes, appeals to gallery

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM BARTSCH

n art collection is made to be shared. After all, it’s a reflection of the person who put it together. But finding the perfect setting to show off one’s stash can be a monumental challenge. Major LA collectors, such as Eli Broad and Michael Ovitz, built homes around their extraordinary collections, though not without hiccups. Broad’s chosen architect, Frank Gehry, exited the project before construction and Ovitz was said to have gone through two dozen plans before architect Michael Maltzan got the green light. (Today, the Ovitz collection sits within metal-sheathed, cubelike fortresses in

PHOTOGRAPHY BY UNLIMITED STYLE REAL ESTATE PHOTOGRAPHY (JANSS HOME); JIM BARTSCH (FARING ROAD PROPERTY)

The Frank Gehry–designed Janss home may look imposing, but it was built with plenty of skylights to illuminate the family’s showstopping art collection.

Major LA collectors, such as Eli Broad and Michael Ovitz, built homes around their extraordinary collections, though not without hiccups. owner Marc Selwyn of Beverly Hills’s Marc Selwyn Fine Art. “Huge paintings need a huge house; intimate-scale drawings can look spectacular in a smaller setting,” advises Selwyn. “Having natural light is a huge plus,” he adds. Designed by preeminent museum architect Frederick Fisher (designer of the Sunnylands Center & Gardens and arts patron Wallis Annenberg’s Malibu Colony house), Selwyn’s

gallery sits under a bow-truss ceiling illuminated by a mammoth skylight. Another Frederick Fisher and Partners– designed structure—a home built in 2006 for an artist and a lawyer—is now on the market in Santa Ynez, in the heart of Santa Barbara wine country. Glass-panel doors on one side of the vineyardsurrounded home disappear to better take in the landscape of oak-studded hills, vines, and mountain views—not to mention plenty of art-friendly natural light. The home’s former studio, accessed through a sheltered 2,300-square-foot interior courtyard, has high white walls with clerestory windows and faces north. The house comes furnished (down to the linens), but does not include the art, says Laura Drammer of Sotheby’s International Realty’s Los Olivos office, who has the $6.95 million listing (sothebyshomes.com). Few homes can compare to the estate of Edwin and Ann Janss (the Janss family were developers of Westwood, Thousand Oaks, and Sun Valley, Idaho) in West Los Angeles. One of architect Frank Gehry’s earliest design commissions (circa 1974), it was built as backdrop for the couple’s cutting-edge contemporary art collection. “It is a very specific house, built to entertain and showcase art,” says Beth Green, estates director at Beverly Hills’ Hilton & Hyland (hilton hyland.com). At the gallerylike residence, even the garage was converted to the cause and lined with storage racks. The garden was configured for sculptures, and an additional lot and house were acquired (both are included in the $2.995 million listing price). The great room has

12-foot-high ceilings and no windows; there are skylights, which were draped until just before the home went on the market. Flash-forward to the future and spec builder/ owner Sean Sassounian’s $38 million Bird Street steel, glass, and stone ultracontemporary (represented by The Agency). An avid art collector, Sassounian spent three years in construction on the high-design property. Offered completely furnished with pieces from Classicon, Walter Knoll, and other designer furniture lines, the ridgetop aerie is staged with art from his collection and curated works via the cutting-edge Kohn Gallery. (Sassounian is parting with the house and furniture, but not the art.) “The house came to life when the art arrived,” Sassounian insists. At the entrance, an atmospheric Joe Goode (from the “Ocean Blue” series) sets a contemplative mood, while works from Bruce Conner, Wallace Berman, and Andy Warhol add Pop imagery. Textured wood panels, terrazzo floors, and a custom lighting system soften the interiors. In the exhibition kitchen, spotlights are inset into the floor to illuminate sculptures. Skylights above the main stairway provide natural light and create a moody shadowing effect on walls. No longer a plain envelope, the house and the art interplay in a seemingly organic way. Art-ready for LA’s “nouveaux artistiques”! LAC

A lounge area (LEFT) in this 10,000-squarefoot, $12.5 million Faring Road contemporary in Holmby Hills (ABOVE) contains custom-built shelving—perfect for displaying both large paintings and small-scale ceramics. The home’s glass-enclosed façade allows light to flood the interior and showcase artwork, especially in the soaring central gallery.

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PRIME REAL ESTATE

Going Coastal B

each access, sunset views, dolphins (not to mention billionaires) as neighbors— these are some of the perks of living along Southern California’s fabled coastline. From Santa Barbara to the OC, these prized, always in-demand locations have one thing in common: At land’s end, they are high-priced commodities, thanks to the California Coastal Commission, which has determined that all future oceanfront developments face a protracted and expensive process for approval. Southern California may not equal the South of France in dollar price per square foot, but these jewels of the American Riviera are truly rare parcels. In Laguna Beach, the most coveted oceanfront properties can go for almost $60 million. “We have witnessed a robust increase in sales of the megamarket,” says Rod Daley, a real estate agent with Coldwell ABOVE: At this sandBanker Previews International (rod adjacent Fernald Point property in Montecito, daley.com), who sees Laguna Beach’s dramatic ocean views give the midcentury market on an upswing. Daley is home some stiff representing a $59.9 million customcompetition. RIGHT: Thanks to the hilly built, oceanfront manse recently beachfront, this Shore completed (after nearly a decade Cliff Road property in Corona Del Mar is its under construction). own private paradise. The 18,000-square-foot palazzo, with a guesthouse inspired by architect Philip Johnson’s minimalist-chic “Glass House,” is on land that once belonged to the Irvine family, set within the super-private beach community of Irvine Cove. Getty Villa– style marble flooring, Murano glass chandeliers, and numerous other architectural elements imported from Italy are among the house’s modernday Gatsby-esque touches. The area is a CEO magnet: Warren Buffett has a place in nearby Emerald Bay as does Bill Gross, founder of investment firm PIMCO. Newport Beach’s priciest water-facing lots are divided between bay (on the Newport Harbor) and beach. On Shore Cliff Road in Corona Del Mar, a jaw-dropping oceanfront setting is the selling point for one $28 million, 30,000-square-foot lot, per Bob Weglarz of Coldwell Banker Previews International (co-listed with partner Mary Ellen Weglarz, theweglarzgroup.com). “It’s not really about the structure,” explains

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Weglarz of the bluff-side property that terraces down to the sand. “This type of location, space, and natural beauty rarely comes on the market.” The expanse between house and beach conjures up Monterey, not the OC. The premium for beach frontage is highest in celeb-happy Malibu, of course. At the top of the market, the Borman Residence (asking price: $57.5 million) combines Frank Gehry architecture, four lots (160 feet of scarce beachfront on Broad Beach), and grand fathered components such as a tennis court and roof height one story taller than current zoning. “The Borman Residence is one of the most architecturally significant beach properties anywhere,” contends Jeffrey Hyland, president of Hilton & Hyland (hiltonandhyland.com), of the home— one of Gehry’s few waterfront residential commissions. He adds, “It would cost more to build it today than the asking price and [it would be] five years before you could move in—all assuming Mr. Gehry is available!” (He’s not. We checked.) While celebrities, media moguls, international buyers (read Russians), and Oracle’s Larry Ellison are Malibu’s most high-profile homeLEFT AND BELOW: The steaders, Montecito and Santa open-air “living room” of the Frank Gehry–designed Barbara appeal to those who want Borman Residence. One of oceanfront views without the his few oceanfront commissions, the glitz. “Typically, those who buy architectural masterpiece here want the lifestyle,” says towers one story above newer houses on Malibu’s Maureen McDermut, real estate Broad Beach. agent at Sotheby’s Inter national Realty Montecito (sothebys homes.com). “They are looking for quiet and quality of life.” Estate homes here tend to be integrated into the landscape with European flair, have some history and are rarely supersize. And properties can be a relative value: McDermut is representing (along with Bob Lamborn) three acres that open to 244 feet of oceanfront on Montecito’s Fernald Point for $24M. The dry-beach property (meaning there’s room for a towel on the sand) is one of a few waterfront Montecito properties. The site is the appeal—the guesthouse, pool, and 7,300-square-foot Midcentury Modern main house are mere add-ons. LAC

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT GIBSON (FERNALD POINT)

FROM LAGUNA TO MALIBU AND SANTA BARBARA, PRIMO PROPERTIES BY THE SEA FETCH TOP DOLLAR. BY KATHY A. MCDONALD

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FABIEN CASTANIER GALLERY Fabien Castanier Gallery celebrates its relocation to Culver City’s thriving arts district with its frst major solo exhibition, “West Side Stories,” featuring new work by the internationally acclaimed artist JonOne. With a career spanning 20 years, JonOne’s notoriety has only increased as his roots in New York, Paris, and now Los Angeles have brought him expanding interest on the international and national art scene. Te exhibition will be on view until July 12. 2919 La Cienega Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232 310.876.3529 www.castaniergallery.com

Abode and Beyond ART+ HOME

The bow wow factor! Artist Kelsey Lee Offield named her cooler-than-thou Melrose Avenue gallery for her English bulldog, Gusford.

Up, Upcoming, and Away! BUBBLEGUM HEIRESS KELSEY LEE OFFIELD WANTS TO FIND A HOME (YOURS!) FOR LA’S EMERGING ARTISTS. BY ALEXIS JOHNSON

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CORINA MARIE HOWELL

he corner of Melrose and La Brea is beginning to hum with a decidedly artistic buzz. Just ask Gusford owner/director Kelsey Lee Offield (part of the philanthropic Wrigley-Offield family), whose year-old gallery sits just off the It intersection. “It wasn’t the same Melrose I remembered from high school, but it’s got a great vibe going on,” says the 31-year-old, who named the gallery after her English bulldog. (“He’s been everywhere with me, all over the world,” she says. “He’s got his own passport.”) Indeed, her list of aesthetically minded neighbors in the once creatively barren corridor is growing—from West Hollywood transplants Regen Projects and Kohn Gallery to the forthcoming Hollywood relocation of Venice favorite Various Small Fires. As an artist who grew up in Catalina and the arts community of Laguna, Offield brings a unique sensibility to Gusford, choosing to work with emerging artists (both local and international) who sustain critical and rigorous practices. “This space is a platform for artists to do whatever they want,” she says. Offield is also a longtime collector, which means that clients can turn to her own home in the hills of West Hollywood for art-displaying inspiration. “I have two of these in my dining room and one in my office,” says the stylish and statuesque dealer, pointing to a fleshy Andrea Hasler sculpture. “I don’t want [my art] to blend in and become such a fixture [in my house]. As soon as I no longer see it when I walk by, something has to change.” And rearrange she does—she once cut back molding in her living room to display a massive Oliver Jones piece, and she has “no problem hanging [inherited] California plein air paintings next to a contemporary piece.” Having just returned from a successful trip to Pulse Contemporary Art Fair in New York, where she exhibited work by Marrakeshborn, London-based photographer Hassan Hajjaj, Offield is opening her summer exhibition schedule with a sound-neon-canvas installation by Singaporean multimedia artist Genevieve Chua ( July 11– August 23) in her first US show, “Cicadas Cicadas.” “I don’t want my artists to be afraid of making things because they’re not as easy to sell; that’s my job,” she says. “Their job is to create their vision. I want Gusford to be about the artist.” 7016 Melrose Ave., LA, 323-452-9563; gusfordgallery.com LAC

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ABODE AND BEYOND guide

Deck the Walls LA’S TOP GALLERIES WANT ART TO BE THE BEST HOME INVESTMENT YOU’LL EVER MAKE.

Alex Prager’s Face in the Crowd, 2014, at M+B in West. Hollywood.

BY ALEXIS JOHNSON

Cherry and Martin

Gavlak

M+B

The critical and artistically rigorous work shown at Cherry and Martin ranges from video and photographic installations to sculpture and works on paper. Make sure to stop by the gallery’s project space a few doors down, at 2732 S. La Cienega, to see more immersive installations. 2712 S. La Cienega Blvd., LA, 310-559-0100; cherryand martin.com

This second outpost of Sarah Gavlak’s eponymous gallery (the flagship is in Palm Beach, Florida) signals a welcome return for the ex-Angeleno, who has worked at MOCA, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, and Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design. With a list of artists that includes some homegrown favorites like Lisa Anne Auerbach and Liz Craft, Gavlak is sure to be a destination for those looking to amp up their collections. 1034 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood; gavlakgallery.com

With a heavy emphasis on photography, this gallery represents some of the brightest emerging fine-art shutterbugs. From Jessica Eaton’s fluorescentblazed works and Matthew Brandt’s hauntingly beautiful landscapes to Alex Prager’s fashion-vibed stills, any work from M+B is a conversation starter. 612 N. Almont Dr., West Hollywood, 310-550-0050; mbart.com

At this Culver City gallery (moving to a larger space on La Brea this coming September), snap up one of Mary Weatherford’s large-scale paintings, replete with affixed neon tubes (truly breathtaking in both size and hue), or a highimpact Aaron Curry sculpture, painted in his signature rhapsodic shades. 3143 S. La Cienega Blvd., Unit A, LA, 310-558-3030; davidkordanskygallery.com

De Re Gallery Established by Marine Tanguy, former London gallery director, and Steph Sebbag, art collector and BPG ad agency president, this recently opened gallery mingles emerging contemporary artists with modern masters like Warhol and Dalí to create a dialogue between the past and present. 8920 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 310-205-7959; deregallery.com

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Gemini G.E.L. For a who’s who of works on paper by contemporary artists—think Baldessari, Ruscha, and Lichtenstein, among others—look no further than Gemini G.E.L. Established in 1966, this publisher of limited-edition prints (everything from screen prints and lithographs to woodcuts and etchings) and sculptures is an LA institution. 8365 Melrose Ave., LA, 323-6510513; geminigel.com

Honor Fraser Gallery While here, check out the work by painters Rosson Crow, Annie Lapin, and Brenna Youngblood as well as Kenny Scharf’s pop culture– influenced pieces, which tap signifiers like doughnuts, cans of Spam, and pale blue Cadillacs. 2622 S. La Cienega Blvd., LA, 310-837-0191; honorfraser.com

Sima Familant, an art advisor and founding member of LA><ART, explains why you should start collecting.

Regen Projects The variety of A-list artists that Shaun Caley Regen works with is mesmerizing, spanning from Matthew Barney and Catherine Opie to Lawrence Weiner, Glenn Ligon, and James Welling. In the two decades since the gallery opened, Regen Projects has helped shape the LA art scene. Any work acquired here is sure to impress even the most jaded dinner guest. 6750 Santa Monica Blvd., LA, 310-276-5424; regenprojects.com

Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects Known for showing sometimes challenging work, gallerist Susanne Vielmetter has tapped some of LA’s most noted artists, such as Charles Gaines and Andrea Bowers. Also significant on Vielmetter’s roster are Shana Lutker, Jedediah Caesar, My Barbarian, and Ruben Ochoa. 6006 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 310-837-2117; vielmetter.com LAC

How far have clients gone to place their favorite artwork in their homes? I have had clients take out windows, move air conditioning ducts, change lighting systems, and completely remove fireplaces. What’s so rewarding about living with art? You can change your installation to create a new space, to update it to how you are feeling…. Your [home] can change as you do when you have an interesting and eclectic art collection. What’s your philosophy on buying art? It is all about education, spending time with artists and their works, understanding an art historical perspective, and developing personal tastes. simafamilant.com

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF MCLANE (GALLERY)

David Kordansky Gallery

ART SMARTS

Frenzel Photographers

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CandeeBySandee.com Info@CandeeBySandee.com 949.900.6772

and Finally ... Fair Thee Well BICOASTAL BASEL-GOER BARBARA GUGGENHEIM EXPLAINS THE HIGH-FLYING FINE ART OF ART-FAIR HOPPING.

emember when Cannes was the only film festival? Now there’s one everywhere from Macao to Malibu. The same goes for art fairs. They’re sprouting up high and low, near and far, and the big ones are getting bigger. Almost as many Angelenos attend Art Basel Miami as the Super Bowl. But aren’t they basically trade shows, like those selling cars or appliances? I haven’t been to any appliance fairs. Maybe they throw some wild parties, but my guess is art fairs are sexier. The wares are exciting, and the whole scene is seductive—aisles filled with airkissing celebs, carts selling Champagne, and invite-only parties thrown by foreign banks and luxury brands. Private airports are so clogged that a landing time is harder to get than a reservation at Trois Mec. Arriving at Basel this year in a client’s G5, we were sandwiched between two Saudi 757s, one for passengers and the other for hauling home booty. If you’re a guy from Des Moines who’s made a fortune selling faucets, you may be a big shot at home, but here you’re not. “If all it takes to get in on this scene is buying some art,” you ask, “where do I sign?” Collecting changes everything. Suddenly dealers genuflect, and you’re invited to parties where you mingle with models and movie stars. It’s a long way from Iowa. But putting aside the frivolity, how can you get the most out of the fairs? First, understand that the best works are often sold or reserved in advance. Writer and curator Adam Lindemann once complained, “The whole place has been cherry-picked before I even walk in.” Perhaps that’s why the emphasis has shifted to the social. The question “What’d you buy?” has been replaced by “What party did you go to?” Still, art fairs are worth attending. You’re in contact with dealers from all over, and you can learn as much from talking as you can from viewing. Second rule: Don’t succumb to dealers’ now-or-never pressure. There’s always something else around the corner. Try turning the tables on them. Buy on the last day, when they’re faced with shipping the unsold material home. Finally, dress comfortably and carry a water bottle and snack bars. Think of fairs as a marathon, not a sprint. You’ll avoid fair-tigue… and have a great time. LAC

ILLUSTRATION BY DANIEL O’LEARY

Cheers!

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