Arts & Entertainment

The Women Who Rocked LA Art Week

After a whirlwind week, LA Art Week has come to a close. It was exhilarating seeing all the incredible art, from those both established and new to the scene. This year, women artists, gallerists, and founders made a particular splash. To wrap up, I wanted to spotlight some of my favorite shows, exhibits, and events—run by and featuring, of course, women.

Highlights of Art Week 2023

This is one of my favorite times in the Los Angeles art world. Not only did Frieze Los Angeles open at the Santa Monica Airport on Feb. 16, but there are also dozens of other exciting art fairs, gallery openings, museum shows, and events going on for art collectors and aficionados.

Magnus Walker: LA’s Own Urban Outlaw

Walker has been featured in TedX talks and innumerable television and radio interviews. He has an impressive number of Hot Wheels cars in his signature line at Mattel (over 25 so far) and currently has an exhibition at the Petersen Automotive Museum.

Courier Calendar for Week of 8/26 – 9/1

The Broad presents a special exhibition, “This Is Not America’s Flag.” This show questions and explores the symbolism of the American flag, underscoring its vast, divergent, and complex meanings.

The Smidt Foundation Grants $5 Million for Holocaust Museum LA Expansion

The expansion will double Holocaust Museum LA’s existing footprint in Pan Pacific Park, increase visitor capacity and educational programs to greater numbers of students and schools, and incorporate cutting-edge technology to preserve and present Holocaust survivor testimonies.  

The Vibrant World of Nicholas Kontaxis

By 2016, at age 21, Nicholas became a bonafide artist with his first sold-out show at De Re Gallery on Melrose Avenue.

Frieze Draws 35,000 to Beverly Hills

“We thought, let’s don’t bring our wares — let’s make a big statement,” said McLeod. “This is one of the last great monumental sculptures in the Chris Burden estate.” 

Gearing Up for Frieze

Businesses in and around Beverly Hills are gearing up to host tens of thousands of visitors from around the world this month with the highly anticipated Super Bowl LVI and Frieze Los Angeles just weeks away.

Frieze Sneak Peak

Frieze Los Angeles unveiled a selection of art expected to appear at its upcoming Beverly Hills exhibition during an exclusive preview event at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles on Feb 3.

Mel Bochner Exhibit a Traffic-Stopper in Beverly Hills

For 10 days this month, a seemingly typical electronic traffic sign perplexed and confused westbound passersby on South Santa Monica Boulevard and Charleville Boulevard.

Virtual Commemoration at Holocaust Museum LA

International Holocaust Remembrance Day, recognized by the United Nations, commemorates the tragedy of the Holocaust and signifies the day that Auschwitz was liberated. 

Iconic Avedon Prints on Display in Beverly Hills

McLeod said that the collection is currently for sale, though she would not disclose the price. Visitors must show proof of vaccination and are required to wear a mask.

Holocaust Museum Receives Funds for Expansion

The Holocaust Museum LA received $2.5 million in state funding on Oct. 21 that will support construction of the museum’s new learning center pavilion.

Beverly Hills Art Show is Back

“People were definitely eager to get back to this event,” Beesen told the Courier. “It’s a community favorite. It’s very popular. It draws people from all over Southern California and we have artists from all over the nation. So it does attract quite a big crowd.”

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Opening Events

The event raised more than $11 million for the museum dedicated to the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking. As Spike Lee noted, “This is not just a museum for Los Angeles but for the world.”

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Officially Opens

It also includes an immersive experience offering guests a chance to step onto the stage of the Dolby Theater and accept a genuine Oscar. Unfortunately, the 15-second event does not leave much time for delivering an acceptance speech.

Official Reopening of The Academy Museum on Sept. 30

Previews and celebrations are underway for the official reopening of The Academy Museum on Sept. 30. The Courier will feature all the Museum highlights plus an exclusive look at all the opening festivities in our Oct. 1 and Oct. 8 issues. Photo by Josh White courtesy of the Academy Museum Foundation

Beverly Hills Art Show Returns Oct. 16-17

Now in its 48th year, the Beverly Hills Art Show was reinvented in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The show took on a hybrid format in an effort to stay connected to the community and continue to offer the much-anticipated annual event that community members have come to expect and enjoy.  

Beverly Hills Holocaust Survivor Immortalized Through Hologram Technology

“I was born in a town called Uzhorod, in Czechoslovakia. I had a wonderful childhood, as I said before. I had lovely parents and I never needed anything that I couldn’t get, and we were sort of a little bit maybe freer than the Jewish religious children, and we could afford and we could do the things that were fun.”

Sing for Hope Preview

The Courier obtained an early preview, sitting down with artist Chaz Guest as he began painting a piano with his comic book character Buffalo Warrior, the first superhero “born in the cotton fields.

Ringo Starr’s Birthday Wish for “Peace & Love” Around the World

Happy Birthday Ringo and all the best and brightest wishes! Thanks to you, our world is a better place!

Tour d’Elegance is Coming to Beverly Hills on Father’s Day

This historic drive begins at 10 a.m on June 20. The parade route travels up San Vicente Boulevard and turns left (west) on Burton Way.

City of Style: Beverly Hills Shows Off its Public Art

Beverly Hills certainly understands the power of art, its ability to stimulate, entertain, and enhance. Long known for its public and private support for the arts, Beverly Hills is committed to providing access to diverse public artworks.

LACMA Modern Art Returns

The galleries have been redesigned in collaboration with Frank O. Gehry and Associates, and the presentation includes new interpretive texts, six thematic audio tours, a 30-minute film drawn from LACMA’s exhibition archives, and a collection soundtrack. The new presentation is curated by Stephanie Barron, Senior Curator and Department Head of Modern Art, and Katia Zavistovski, Assistant Curator of Modern Art.

Major Appointments at the Skirball

Additionally, the Center has named Reuben J. Sanchez as Chief Financial Officer and Pamela Kohanchi as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. 

Installation Underway for Alexandra Nechita Bronze

One of five towering figure sculptures produced by Nechita, “Love Anatomy” depicts a stylized female figure in the artist’s signature neo-modernist manner. 

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures To Debut Virtual Programming

Movies will come home to the new museum. And they will do so in an immersive, dynamic format befitting a medium that has captured the world’s imagination since the latter part of the 19th century.

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to Host Virtual Event

“One Survivor Remembers” relates  Klein’s harrowing story of survival, both before and after the war. Home Box Office and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum co-produced the documentary film, which was awarded both an Emmy and an Academy Award. 

The Wallis Announces Two First Time Endowments

“Philanthropic investments of this magnitude speak to the dedication of our Wallis Family members and the priority they give The Wallis as a cornerstone institution of our community and a bright hope for our future,” said Wallis Executive Director and CEO Rachel Fine in a statement.

First International African Contemporary Art Gallery Opens on Melrose

Since its inception, Rele has served as a critical interface between the art world in Africa and the international sphere. The original gallery in Lagos has become the leading space for contemporary art and artist development in Nigeria.

Petersen Automotive Museum Gala Raises Record Funds

“Our 26th Annual Gala Celebration was our most successful gala to date,” said Petersen Automotive Museum Executive Director Terry L. Karges.

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Announces Six New Trustees

“We are thrilled to welcome these six remarkable leaders to our board of trustees,” said Ron Meyer, board chair and vice chairman of NBCUniversal.

Galleries and Museums Go Virtual

Louis Vuitton Partners with Frieze for House’s Objets Nomades

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Gears up for December Opening

UTA Artist Space in Beverly Hills Debuts a Dark Fantasy

Life is Beautiful: Mr. Brainwash Sculptures Remain after BOLD

Summer in the City: Best of BOLD and Beyond