Standard Station, Ed Ruscha

Ed Ruscha show in Los Angeles at the Honor Fraser Gallery

This weekend is Ed Ruscha’s gallery showing of his collection of mixed media art; a collection of prints, books, paintings, works on paper - all in the theme of the “Standard Station”.

Ruscha has consistently combined the cityscape of his adopted hometown with vernacular language to communicate a particular urban experience. Encompassing painting, drawing, photography, and artist’s books, Ruscha’s work holds the mirror up to the banality of urban life and gives order to the barrage of mass media-fed images and information that confronts us daily. Ruscha’s early career as a graphic artist continues to strongly influence his aesthetic and thematic approach.

Ruscha has been the subject of numerous museum retrospectives that have traveled internationally, including those organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 1982, the Centre Georges Pompidou in 1989, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in 2000, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in 2002, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney in 2004. Also in 2004, The Whitney Museum of American Art organized two simultaneous exhibitions: Cotton Puffs, Q-tips®, Smoke and Mirrors: The Drawings of Ed Ruscha, which traveled to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., and Ed Ruscha and Photography. In 2005, Ruscha was the United States representative at the 51st Venice Biennale. The traveling exhibition Ed Ruscha, Photographer opened at the Jeu de Paume in Paris in 2006.

Adam
(from Starworks Los Angeles)

LACMA Expands

After years in the making, Phase 1 of LACMA’s Transformation is now a celebrated reality. This includes The Broad Contemporary Art Museum, the BP Grand Entrance, and the new modern galleries — which all opened their doors this month.

The $56 million BCAM, designed by Renzo Piano, is the county art museum’s first home for contemporary art. It mainly contains pieces from the massive holdings of LACMA trustee and donor Eli Broad and wife Edythe, who funded BCAM’s construction.

Architectural drawings from Renzo Pianos designs for the new LACMA addition

A longtime trustee of LACMA, Broad stepped in after voters rejected a bond issue in 2002 that would have paid for a massive redesign of the complex. Instead, Broad and his wife, Edythe, footed the entire $56 million needed to build the new wing. He attacked the project with his trademark efficiency, convincing Italian architect Renzo Piano, famous for his work on the Centre Pompidou in Paris and a dozen other prominent museums, to come on board. Piano agreed only if he could help redesign the entire museum complex, something Broad got the rest of the trustees to agree to.

Adam
(from Starworks Los Angeles)

Paper Magazine + LA

New York’s downtown bible, Paper Magazine, visited LA for their annual Paper Project where the staff locates to Los Angeles for one week to sprinkle some art cred love on the west coast. Last night I went to the Paper party in celebration of Phyllis Diller’s paintings (shown below) and in celebration of Henny Garfunkel’s celebrity polaroid shots.

Read about the entire week guests, parties, and attendees (note: Lindsay dropped in to see friend Jeremy Scott too) on:
PAPERMAG.COM — SEE THE “PAPER PROJECTS” SECTION

A Rose is Still a Rose

Rose by Jewels Steger and Britt Bardo

This week, stylists Britt Bardo and Jewels Steger hosted their premiere trunk show for their gorgeous new label, Rose. The capsule collection for Rose consists of chic backless jersey tops, slouchy wide leg trousers, and elegant jersey dresses all in a very sophisticated color pallette. I asked them a few questions.

Adam: What’s your personal style?
Britt: Easy effortless, big on amazing accessories with a bit of a vintage hard edge
Jewels: Easy, classic, kid friendly

A: Who are your style icons?
B: Audrey Hepburn, Helmet Newton photography, and Bianca Jagger
J: Frida Kahlo, Grace Kelly, Isadora Duncan

A: What is the inspiration for this collection?
B: English Rose, easy soft coveted pieces with a bit of a vintage feel that can go from day to night that you can’t live without
J: The idea of a girl being able to pack a suitcase with just a few things and go from day to night depending on her accessories.

Rose is available at Barneys in NYC and LA, Satine, and Curve

Botkier Delights

Monica Botkier shows Spring 2008 collection in Los Angeles

The new Botkier Spring 2008 collection was on show at the gorgeous Chateau Marmont bungalows yesterday. Tasty treats (Sprinkles cupcakes) and delicious bags were all being snapped up by celebs and stylists alike.

Yesterday’s event brought Botkier fanatics Joy Bryant (who has a Botkier bag named after her), Elisha Cuthbert, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Lindsay Sloane.

Left to Right: Elisha Cuthbert, Michelle Trachtenberg, Lindsay Sloane

Left to Right: stylist Tanya Gill, stylist Jessica Paster with Monica Botkier, Britt Bardo with Monica Botkier

and Finca