Barker Hangar hosts the 13th Annual L.A. Art Show
BARKER HANGAR While his work hangs in art galleries in New York, Memphis, San Francisco and his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, contemporary American realist painter Mark Beck still finds it difficult to get noticed by collectors and dealers in other parts of the country.
“In the art world, cold calls don’t work very well,” said Beck, a weathered-looking man in his 40’s with red hair and gold-rimmed glasses. “If you know someone, an artist who has their work in a gallery you are trying to get in to, they can put in a good word for you and you have a much better chance of getting in.”
Networking is essential, Beck said, which is why he traveled to Barker Hangar on Thursday. He, like many other artists, wanted to shake some hands and exchange a few business cards with dealers and collectors from across the country who are gathered at the colossal airplane hangar for the 13th Annual Los Angeles Art Show, presented by the Fine Art Dealers Association (FADA).
The art show, which began Wednesday night and runs until Sunday, is one of the country’s most prestigious art expositions, featuring an array of artwork spanning cutting-edge contemporary to works from some of history’s finest artist like Picasso and Rembrandt.
The event drew more than 20,000 artists, collectors and dealers last year and organizers expect the same this time around.
“Los Angeles is becoming one of the most important art centers in the U.S. and the world and it only made sense to have an art fair here because of that,” said Kim Ray Martindale, producer of the L.A. Art Show who was responsible for its creation 14 years ago. “Events like this have helped Los Angeles gain respect and are part of the reason why people have come to embrace L.A. as being the new art capital in terms of producing cutting-edge pieces.”
Artists and collectors marveled at the wide variety of styles and mediums presented at the art show, which boasts 125 exhibitors from destinations around the globe. Exhibitors spoke about the quality of the art presented and the professional manner in which the show is produced. Some exhibitors paid more than $10,000 to set up shop. Some collectors will pay anywhere between $500 and $8 million for pieces on display.
“The exhibition has gained tremendous momentum with record-setting attendance and sales,” Howard Rehs, president of FADA, said. “The public is really responding to the expanded focus of the show and the variety and quality of the art. The show and the arts and culture scene in Southern California has really come into its own.”
In addition to the opening gala and daily shows, the art fair will feature its much lauded lecture series with celebrated art experts.
Admission is $20. General show hours are, Friday, noon to 8 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 8 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.
Beck wasn’t the only one looking to network and get his name out there during the event. Tom Burns, publisher of Art Works Magazine, was in attendance Thursday to get some exposure. The magazine was started a few years ago to try and bring attention to the western art world. So many times the west is overlooked, Burns said.
“You really can’t beat the collection of art here and the various types of styles,” Burns said of the art show, which featured prominent local artists like Ed Moses. “I thought the show was going to feature mostly traditional California landscape, but you have a good representation of so many different styles. It’s fantastic.”
For dealers, the pressure is on not only to meet people, but to also promote and sell their artists’ work.
Jane Beebe, who owns the PDX gallery in Portland, has four artists she is trying to promote.
“The art I have here tends to be more modest than some of the other works,” Beebe said.“That can be a plus or a minus.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 25, 2008. Read the original PDF.