This fabulous opening gala will include an all store celebration where party guests will enjoy lavish hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, dinner and dessert buffets, live entertainment and the opportunity to do some sneak preview shopping in the new store. There will also be vignette modeling featuring new spring fashion throughout the store.

Honorary Chairs are Debbie Autrey from Long Beach Museum of Art and George and Beverle Ray from Community Family Guidance Center. Event chairs are Maggie Reep and Luis Morente from Long Beach Museum of Art and Briana Knabe and Kathy Lovell from Community Family Guidance Center.

When: Tuesday, May 4, 2010, 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Price: $75.00 per person

Please use our fax, email or mail form to make your reservation online now or call 562-439-2119 ext. 336

The value of the collection has not been released however a $1-million reward has been offered by an anonymous source for information leading to the recovery of the paintings.  Anyone with information should contact the Los Angeles Police department.

To read the full article visit the LA Times.

The green, Eco-friendly, recycling, artistic women of Mascara Obscura will be hosting another amazing art exhibit at Cafe Viento y Agua Coffee house and Gallery in Long Beach this Saturday eventing from 6pm to 10pm.  Meet the artists, have some great coffee, listen to some cool music from DJ Desiree and DJ Soozee and enjoy the event ‘USED”.  This exhibit will feature artwork created with materials already existing in the community.

Viento y Agua Coffee House is located at 4007 East 4th Street Long Beach, CA 90814.  For more information about this event go to http://vientoyaguacoffeehouse.com/  or http://www.facebook.com/people/Mascara-Obscura/1422428826#

I guess, technically, it really was an auction but that’s not descriptive enough.  Maybe a gala, an affair, a pageant, a real “to-do”, a moveable feast or, as my Dad might have called it,  a “heck of a shindig” ….had he been allowed in, which is doubtful.

When Christie’s held the soiree of soirees to unload  (pardon me “offer”) the effects of the life long partnership of Yves St. Laurent and Pierre Berge, at the Grand Palais exhibition space, it was a six day affair that was attended by more than 30,000 people. In addition there were over 10 auctioneers taking non-stop phone call bids for six days. St. Laurent, of course, died last year and my guess is that he and Pierre had pre-ordained the auction of what they had collected over their 50 years together. To have a successful gathering in Paris it was considered essential to have Yves St. Laurent in attendance.  Yves made this one through his and Pierre’s decades of collecting.

The 10 page spread in the July edition of Architectural Digest is something to behold, especially if you are in-between jobs or on short rations, so-to-speak. I freely admit that my knowledge in the world of art is lacking. Without using a lot of cliché’s trying to support my ignorance (“I know what I like”, etc.) I confess that my admiration is usually limited to  say ….”that cost how much?”

Well this collection is something you have to see to believe. Over 6 world records were set for art works and there must have been 50 set for furniture. Those of you who are true aficionados will revel in it and those who don’t know anymore than I do will share my astonishment

The magazine spread displayed many of the items sold with a tag of what room they were in at Pierre and Yve’s digs. (Paris and New York) The first page displayed 12 items of furniture and some bric-a-brac that sold for a little over $53 million. I liked a wooden sculpture that resembled a large nut cracker but I thought that $37 million was too much.  I wouldn’t have paid a penny over $35 million. There also were some lack luster jugs that sold for about $130,000 but there was another pair of jugs that looked a lot nicer and went just under $3,000,000.  I think at that price they are called a “brace of vases”….with a long “Aaaaaa.”

The second and third pages were identified as “The Grand Salon 1976” but the total here was a   paltry  $32 million. Admittedly that didn’t include whatever was paid for some partially empty liquor bottles but it did include an old leather chair that went for $28 million! ( I’m almost sure I saw its twin  at a Belmont Shore garage sale just before Christmas.)  I did like the four nice wooden chairs that were a bargain, I guess, at $132,000?, and also a very nice piece of wooden statuary of a pregnant pelican….I know, I know,  pelicans don’t get pregnant .. but I don’t think the artist knew it.   Anyway it was only $774,000.

When I got to the fourth and fifth pages, “The Grand Salon 2008” I finally saw something I recognized….(see I’m not totally a tyro)  A Matisse that sold for $10 million and a de Chirico for $14,233,226.  Imagine adding twenty six dollars to a $14 million dollar bid to win?

I thought one of the highlights of the auction happened before it began. Mr. Berge, is not only an unique collector but a businessman with a wonderful knack for negotiation. Prior to the sale a dispute had unfolded over two Qing dynasty bronze animal heads, a rabbit and a rat, originally looted from an imperial palace in China but purchased legally. China had demanded their return, but a French court ruled the evening before the sale that the auction of the heads could proceed as scheduled.

The issue had become a heated one in China, stirring nationalist indignation. Mr. Berge countered that the heads belonged to him, saying, however, he would gladly give them to China if Beijing would “observe human rights and give liberty to the Tibetan people and welcome the Dalai Lama.”  The heads were sold.

I know Yves was a brilliant and creative man but some of these things must  have been purchased when he was in one of his drug induced hazes. But then that begs the question, what about the bidders this year who were willing to pay more than Berge and St. Laurent did when they bought these things.

Which begs the next question….what the heck do I know?

The grand total of the sale was almost one half a billion dollars!  Perhaps not enough to help GM or AIG but certainly a wonderful contribution for “”Research on AIDS” and other charities created by St. Laurent and Berge. 

A most noble gesture by two true “Renaissance Princes.”

This Saturday, June 13th from 4 to 10pm Downtown Long Beach will be host to  Tour Des Artistes annual live art and music festival.  If you’re looking for a taste of the Long Beach art scene or are merely looking for something different to do this weekend the Tour De Artistes is worth checking out.  Tour Des Artistes features over 30 live artists,  live bands, beer garden, VIP museum & gallery Big Red Bus tours and various after parties sponsored by downtown clubs.

For over ten years Tour Des Artistes has attracted thousands of people to the Downtown Long Beach area to showcase the dynamic cultural scene. The event began as a casual tour of empty buildings that local artists had taken over and turned into studio spaces. As the city evolved, so too did the Tour. 2009 will prove to be bigger and better than ever.

VIP BUS TOUR:  A sophisticated affair for those who enjoy the finer things. Long Beach’s very own Big Red Bus, a vintage double-decker London bus, will whisk VIPs off to a variety of local Museums and Exhibitions. Exclusive access and complimentary food and beverages at each stop are sure to satisfy the palette and spirit of any cultural enthusiast. To purchase tickets click here.

For more info on the Tour De Artistes event this weekend visit TourDArt.com.

It’s A Grind Coffee House, will be sponsoring an art exhibit, ”Reflective Haven” at Cecil & Reed in Signal Hill.  “Reflective Haven” will feature six artists and their works.  Featured artists will be Candy, Steve Garcia, Natasha Tikunoff, Vanessa Varquez,Lane Reed and Stephanie Bates.

Come out and enjoy an evening of great art, great coffee and the amazing musical talent of Amie Smith.

‘Reflective Haven’ art exhibit June 13th, 2009 from 6pm to 10pm at Cecil & Reed 2551 California Ave. , Signal Hill California.  Save the date!

Come out and join the artists of Mascara Obscura for a closing reception for their latest exhibition “The Prophecy of Transition” at The Library Coffeehouse at 3418 Broadway on April 25th from 7:oo-10:00pm.  

About Mascara Obscura:

A precursor to modern photography, the camera obscura was used by artists to reproduce an image for replication. Much like the human eye, the box filters light from a scene through the hole and strikes a surface where it is reproduced, in color, and upside-down. Hence the name “Mascara Obscura.” We view our world and interpret our experiences first, as humans, then, as women. These “upside-down” images are used to create our stories with paint and brush, paper, yarn, and canvas. Mixing elements of art and craft, lowbrow and fine art, urban and traditional themes, the Mascara Obscura Collective is a small group of diverse women who have just begun to scratch the surface of the Long Beach art scene. Our goal is to create beautiful exhibitions that showcase the fruits of our creative endeavors. Most importantly- we are a complex group of friends who support, mentor, and motivate one another to create and share in the magic that is art…. …Feet, what do I need them for, If I have wings to fly. -Frida Kahlo

Visit the artists MySpace page here or their blog here.

The 6th-annual Belmont Shore Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest presented by Justin Rudd and his nonprofit 501c3 Community Action Team and Gazette Newspapers will take place on Sun., April 19, 2009 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Long Beach Museum After Dark Event!

Featuring:
 
DJ Lithuanian Prince
Happy Hour Prices
Beer & Wine Tastings
View our Opening Exhibition David Simon: Dark Forest
and last chance to see California, Seen

After Dark events are FREE to all Museum members and one guest. $10 for non-members. For information on becoming a member, click here.