Friday October the 13th, not an ideal day to be out when its raining in LA. People can't drive too well in the rain here, because it doesn't rain much, and it also brings all the slickness out which has been building since the last time it rained (circa 1602). So it had to be something special to drag me right across rush hour traffic to Santa Monica and Bergamot Station. And, it was something very special - the preview night of Ron English's exhibition of new works at Berman Turner Projects. Turned out to be an excellent evening - Ron and his wife were extremely friendly and talkative, and the art more than spoke for itself. A nice installation in the airy space of building E-1 - the pieces need the space, and they got it. Our own Turtlegod and good old Uncle Colin accompanied me, and while there I met the mythical great Pirovino and got to talk toys. What fun! Food wasn't much to speak of, but thanks to a nearby gallery with their own Sushi chef (who was excellent I thought), and an abundance of freeloaders - we ate extremely well! Great desserts too! This show is amazing - if you haven't seen Ron's work in the flesh go see it - NOW Check out what was going down via my wobbly photos: Overview: Rabbits. Look familiar toy fans? Marlboro Kid: Oh My God: Guernica Triptych in HUGE shock: Ron, master of modesty: Party guys discuss young Andy: Got milk? Starry nites in McD land: Forget Paul Frank, Ron is my friend: Cowgirls: Ron twirls the Pirovino: Marilyn Mickey
Thanks for the pics Carl! Did you or Ronnie pick up anything? And what were the prices like? The Guernica wanna-be is AMAZING.
Glad everyone is enjoying the pics! I had been thinking about giving up on doing coverage like this because it gets so little response usually (not being exactly Jp toy-centric, which I understand) - but looks like people are interested. To answer a couple of questions: Don't know if Mr Pirovino picked anything up - he signed up for the board after I sent him links to this - so maybe he can chime in. I did pick up a painting that night - but not one from the show, it was an earlier piece that I had put a deposit on a while ago...and the show was my deadline to complete the payments. Anyway, its now hung in my house and looks amazing! Prices ranged from $3000 to $150,000 for the big Triptych. New oils were in the $21,000 range. If I had the money, I would have loved the Marlboro Kid!
Hi guys. Great to be posting my first time on the venerable skullbrain. I didn't purchase anything in this show. I wanted a small or medium "kid" piece, but no new ones were available (the Young Andys are silkscreens with paint on canvas; Marlboro Boy is an original oil on canvas). I just hung a Mr. Jago on my wall, and am waiting on 2 new McGee pieces. I strongly encourage you LA cats to check out the new show at http://nineteeneightyeight.com - featuring some amazing, well-priced stuff by Mr. Jago. If you don't know his stuff, this is his site: http://www.mrjago.com. It opens tomorrow night. Great to meet you Carl! Viva la skullbrain.
Breathtaking pieces Carl. Thanks for sharing and keeping us abreast of the arts on the opposite coast. I loved every piece. how much were they going for?
These are all from memory, but approximately correct: $3K for the rabbit silkscreen/handpainteds, $4500 for the the same medium Marilyns....$21K for the Marlboro Kid, COw Girl Milk Squirter and Starry and $150K for the huge ass triptych. There were also some older pices around ranging from 5 to 12K. I think I'll have two! Seriously, if I had the money, I'd be down with a Marlboro Kid painting!
mr. jago's stuff is incredibly cool ... i went by this afternoon to check out the pieces and ended up buying, well, some of them. i've been waiting for this show for about 8 months now, and it did not disappoint.
Great, dude. All his stuff in this show is now on the G88 website, so everyone can see how dope his art is!! His current work is on semi-transparent white silk, with gutta and ink. The inking and gutta work is a phenomenal twist to his technique; it hints of organic improvisation. The ink with all the flowing bleeding and the Pollock-style drips with gutta. It's an interesting contrast to his more "brush-driven" work in acrylic. The large pieces are brilliant and such bargains, considering his stature. It's really worth seeing in person. And, of course, go see Ron English's show in person, too. Guernica Trilogy is a masterpiece.
