Artistic Perfection: Haute 5 Art Galleries in Los Angeles

Generally misconceived as script-reading, yoga-doing, early-to-bed Philistines, Angelenos have gotten a bad rap.  Transplants from other US cities (ahem, New York) see us as their less-than-cultured cousins with a love of all things fast and blonde.  How wrong they are!  Our fair and sprawling town is chock full of cultural outposts from art galleries to museums, performance organizations, established theatre troupes, and an obviously thriving film scene.  When you need to feed your mind with more than just what your therapist tells you, a cultural jaunt may be just what you need – modern art galleries offer up a cross-section of art that’s being produced right now and that is, as a result, a reflection of our current society. Los Angeles has galleries aplenty, but here are your haute five.

Fahey/Klein Gallery

Black and white photographs can be amongst the boldest and most beautiful produced.  Yes, there’s something to be said for all that Technicolor, but at Fahey/Klein Gallery on La Brea Blvd, you’ll garner a whole new appreciation for such stark, rich photography.  The gallery’s twenty-four year history is rife with wild stories of working with some of the medium’s most fantastical artists – they’ve exhibited Alfred Stieglitz, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Herb Ritts, and Man Ray.  Their current exhibitions feature the power and intensity of men and women in the deserts of Spain in photographs by Ruven Afanador.  Late last year, their two rooms featured photographs by Ralph Gibson and Rasmus Mogensen in exhibitions called “Nudes” and “Perfectly Natural,” respectively.

Image by Ruven Afanador

Fahey/Klein Gallery is located at 148 N. La Brea Blvd. in Los Angeles (323) 934-2250

Blum & Poe Gallery

Working with a range of contemporary artists, Blum & Poe Gallery in Culver City presents some of the most innovative and interesting shows in Los Angeles.  Their artists represent an array of different mediums and materials from photography and video art to wall installations and paintings.  Smack in the midst of Culver City’s arts district with Roberts & Tilton, Honor Fraser, and Billy Shire galleries within walking distance, Blum & Poe really holds their own with their roster of artists and consistently exciting exhibitions.  Their current exhibit, “Seven Faces,” features twelve new paintings by locally-based artist Mark Grotjahn.  Stop in for a beer and a bite at Father’s Office nearby, if you fancy.

Image by Mark Grotjahn

Blum & Poe Gallery is located at 2727 S. La Cienega Blvd in Culver City (310) 836-2062

The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA

If you’re hunting for an emergency pit-stop of contemporary art to ruffle some of your too-calm-feathers, look no further than the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, located in a former police car warehouse in Little Tokyo.  This space, which hosts a number of fabulous events each year, may not rotate their exhibitions all that often (think 4 months per exhibit), but each represented artist or group of artists really hits the mark of contemporary art in our country.  Currently on view is a site-specific exhibition called “Mi Casa Es Tu Casa,” with work by Mexico City-based artist Moris, otherwise known as Israel Meza Moreno. The exhibit is associated with local arts organization Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND), which regularly brings site-specific projects from national and international artists to Los Angeles.

The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA is located at 152 N. Central Ave. in Downtown LA (213) 621-1745

Louis Stern Fine Arts

On a slightly less-populated strip at the western end of Melrose Ave, Louis Stern Fine Arts is a gem, once you’ve found it.  Their aesthetic sensibility is that of your chicest friend in France – they often exhibit painters who put color-blocking to use, and photographers that focus on the beauty and inherent variety of shapes in the human body.   The work on their walls is largely like a throwback to painterly movements from the turn of the century through today such as “Lorser Feitelson at the Invention of Hard Egde Painting (1945-1965),” “Janos Mattis Teutsch and the Hungarian Avant Garde (1910-1935),” and “Karl Benjamin: Drawings 1950-1965.”  Currently on view is an exhibit of bold, colorful, yet simple paintings by John Stephan from the last thirty years of his life.

Louis Stern Fine Arts is located at 9002 Melrose Ave. in West Hollywood (310) 276-0147

Peter Fetterman Gallery

One of the many galleries that make up the cultural landscape of Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, Peter Fetterman Gallery consistently displays work by some of the most fascinating photographers.  Their shows really run the gamut from their amazing current exhibition called “Faces of Fashion,” which closes March 7, to last year’s exhibit “Africa,” featuring distinctly beautiful photos by Sebastiao Salgado.  There have been photographers on display here who’ve taken photos of young Amish boys playing in the snow, snaps of Bob Dylan and icons of the civil rights movement, and images of the magic of vintage New York City.  At this gallery, there’s almost always something you’d want to put in your house – assuming you brought your wallet.

Image By Jean Philippe Charbonnier Bettina

Peter Fetterman Gallery is located at Bergamot Station: 2525 Michigan Ave in Santa Monica (310) 453-6463