Vote For Us!

Cecil Touchon, PDP464

We are in the throes of a competition for ad space from Beacham & Company REALTORS! Please get on Facebook, "like" Beacham & Company, REALTORS, and post your vote for Emily Amy Gallery. We are up against some pretty stiff competition, so we need your help!!!

Visit Blayne Beacham's beautiful blog, "This Photographer's Life," to learn more about the competition; we are one of only seven finalists! And if you are not a Facebook user, you can cast a vote by making a comment on Blayne's blog instead. As you will see when you visit the blog, we have used this gorgeous new Cecil Touchon pictured above that we received earlier this week to sway voters our way!

In Celebration of Photography

Ryan Hendon, Mid-Century Landscapes, Pictured #2, Vintage Silver Gelatin Print, 8 7/8" x 8 3/4"

September 9th marked the opening of our first-ever photography show which is curated by local photographer Stephanie Dowda. In conjunction with Atlanta Celebrates Photography, Echoes of the Sublime features 10 artists, both local and non-local. Stephanie has selected black and white, color, vintage prints and brand new works to bring us a wonderful introduction into this genre.

The show features works by the following: Allyson Ross of New York, John Paul Floyd of Atlanta, Klea McKenna of San Francisco, Justin Weaver of Atlanta, Jeff Rich of Savannah, Aaron Norberg of Portland, Lauren Hughes of Atlanta, Ryan Hendon of San Francisco, Ashley Kauschinger of Atlanta and Megan Gorham of San Francisco.

Lauren Hughes, Lingered or Luck, Digital Archive Print, framed, 16" x 24"

Not only did Stephanie's curatorial work bring in our largest opening night crowd to date, but she is also receiving rave reviews. Jerry Cullum, writing for ArtsCriticATL.com, says, "...the goal of curator Stephanie Dowda in “Echoes of the Sublime,” at Emily Amy Gallery through October 22, is both ambitious and admirable. Bearing in mind what the sublime has meant in more philosophically secure eras of life and thought, she sets out to find what the sublime means for American photographers in the second decade of the 21st century." Read the review in it's entirety here: http://www.artscriticatl.com/category/art_and_architecture/. Needless to say, if you haven't seen the show, come pay us a visit.

Megan Gorham, Untitled 2008, Archival Pigment Print, framed, 20" x 24"

Be sure to get out and about during the month of October to catch all that the ACP Festival has to offer! Starting with the Auction Gala this evening at King Plow, there are too many events to name. Almost every gallery and public space in the city is participating in some capacity. There is a lecture series, film series, openings and special events. To learn more about all of the programs included, visit www.ACPinfo.org, or swing by and pick up a brochure from us.

J. Paul Getty

A short drive up the Pacific Coast Highway, nestled in the hills of Malibu, sits the Getty Villa. The brainchild and love of American industrialist and oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, the villa rests on 64 acres and houses thousands of Roman, Etruscan and Greek antiquities collected over his lifetime. Author of How to be Rich and a constant presence on Fortune Magazine's rankings of wealthiest Americans in the mid-1900s, J. Paul Getty amassed a fortune during his lifetime. Fortunately for art lovers everywhere, he had a true passion for the finer things in life. Getty dedicated years of time and loads of funds to what is now the world's wealthiest art trust, which he later bestowed upon Southern California, enabling the existence of The J. Paul Getty Museum, The Getty Foundation, The Getty Research and Conservation Institutes, and the Getty Villa.

(image courtesy of Amerikani blog)

Getty was born in 1892 in Minneapolis, and spent his life working to expand his family's petroleum business. Collecting art and antiquities was a passion and favorite pastime of his, and as a result, the Getty Trust includes over 44,000 pieces. Getty felt very strongly that art, particularly antiquities, should be given a strong and accurate context in which to be viewed. The articles should be seen as the original patrons would have seen them. In the case of his particular collection, context called for the construction of a Roman home.

Based entirely upon a partially excavated, 1st-century Roman villa, Getty provided that context for his namesake's collection in the form of his Malibu villa. The Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum, Italy, was buried when Vesuvius erupted in AD 79. It provided the partial model for Getty's plans. As most of it remains to be excavated, the architects of Getty's villa pulled in aspects of other typical Roman country houses of the time into their design. Every last detail is true to the time and luxurious lifestyle of 1st-century Romans, down to the coffered ceilings, lighting fixtures, and open-air construction providing nature's own air-conditioning, (and proof that the Romans were brilliant). Every herb in the herb gardens is drawn from what would have been found in the Mediterranean at that time, and the aromas waft throughout the grounds.

(image courtesy of Modern Art Notes blog)

Getty also believed that the public should have access to his collection free of charge, and thus the only thing to keep in mind is the $15 parking fee per car, (free for all evening events), and a simple online reservation made in advance of your visit. Having gone at 11 on a Monday in July, the crowds must have been smaller than at peak times, but were very manageable. Plan to wander for several hours at a minimum, and hope for sunny weather for the best views of the Pacific.

(image courtesy of Digital Apoptosis)

Getty lived the latter half of his life in Britain, and unfortunately, never had the opportunity to make it back across the pond to see his villa come to life.

(image courtesy of Art Net)

Food as Art.

(image courtesy of hillaryshort.com)

Grilled peach with prosciutto, burrata, arugula and balsamic. Slow roasted leg of lamb with cous cous, red pepper, spiced yogurt and herb salad. Tuscan kale, shaved fennel, radish, lemon, ricotta salata and breadcrumb. But first, Fanny Bay oysters. Just a peek at a recent meal had at the uber-cool Gjelina in Venice Beach. At the corner of Abbott Kinney Boulevard and Milwood Avenue, sits chef Travis Lett's three year old establishment. The atmosphere is kinetic, the interiors "industrial chic," and the food, artful. Lett has created a seasonal menu that is both captivating and aberrant. Off the beaten path. The menu is derived using only ingredients available at the local farmer's market, and the wine list represents the California coast beautifully, without excluding the Italians and French.

Just be sure you do not leave the building without having desert. The affogato with caramel and biscotti to be specific. Affogato being an Italian desert, which, upon being delivered to your table, consists of gelato which is drowned in piping hot espresso on the spot.

(photo courtesy of la.foodblogging.com)

Next up? Tequila and qarne asada tacos. The walls at El Carmen on 3rd are plastered with posters of Mexican wrestlers, the back booths with "adult" comics. Found in a Saveur magazine many years ago, my Anthony Bourdain-emulating father had dogeared the page, certain that someday we would make it there to try the enchiladas verde. With a tequila bar featuring hundreds of derivatives of the traditional margarita, (the Guava with salt was divine), the food far surpassed a typical bar-style Mexican restaurant. And on said bar, sit lucite lamps filled with neon-lit water and...small Mexican wrestlers. Get one of everything on the menu, starting with the guacamole. By the end of the meal, you will want to take home a framed (porcelain?) bust of a crazed Mexican wrestler. And, a guava margarita.

LACMA

(photo courtesy of Curbed LA)

One of the highlights of last week’s trip to Los Angeles was far and away a visit to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. LACMA, which sits next door to the La Brea Tar Pits, consists of nine modern buildings, containing among other things, Modern Art, Japanese Art, American Art, special exhibitions and amazing views of the Hollywood Hills.

The "Urban Light" installation in the courtyard is especially cool, featuring 202 restored vintage street lamps from around Southern California that were collected and organized by artist Chris Burden. You can walk among the gorgeous installation, or swing on the lampposts à la Gene Kelly.

(photo courtesy of Denver Westword)

This summer and fall the Tim Burton exhibit is at LACMA, featuring examples of work done throughout his life including paintings, film, and costumes. The infamous scissor hands once worn by Johnny Depp are on view, along with preliminary character sketches for Nightmare Before Christmas, Beetlejuice and Batman. The exhibit runs through October, and was a pleasantly interesting surprise.

(photo courtesy of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art)

Along with a very impressive permanent collection of works from the Abstract Expressionists along with Contemporary artists, including a magnificent Richard Serra steel sculpture, the highlight of the afternoon was Christian Marclay's 24-hour film The Clock. Marclay compiled a montage containing 1000's of film clips ranging from early cinema up to new releases. Each clip features a timepiece at an exact moment during a 24 hour time period. Wether it is James Bond glancing at his watch at precisely *4:07, or Katharine Hepburn breezing past a clock that reads 7:45 while setting the dining table for a dinner party, the film captivates your attention as you never know what will pop up next. It is synchronized with real time, so feels a bit spooky. There will be one 24-hour screening of the film on July 28th beginning at 5pm. Go see this film! It also received the Golden Lion Award at this year's Venice Biennale.

*(I stand corrected. A loyal reader pointed out that I was incorrect in saying 7:24 previously, Bond's watch clearly reads 4:07!)

More on L.A. to come!

(photo courtesy of LACMA)

Walk on the Westside

newly hung Summer Salon at Emily Amy Gallery

Although it is sprinkling outside, it is still a great day to walk around the Westside!!

Please join us from 11-5 today for the Westside Arts District's 3rd Saturday Art Walk. We hope to see you at the gallery!

Tacos Por Favor

(image, Phranc's Striped Swimsuit, courtesy of bergamotstation.com)

One half of EAG heads to Los Angeles on Wednesday. The planning started months ago, and thanks to our friend Capella Kincheloe of A Curated Lifestyle there are a few exciting things on the itinerary like Tacos Por Favor, and the Summer Dance Series on the Santa Monica Pier that only locals might know to suggest. For more great ideas from Capella, read that post here.

(image courtesy of The Getty)

Also on the agenda of course are many, many galleries and museums. Thanks to some insight received from another recent LA transplant, Bergamot: Station has been added to the list, as it's the hot spot for gallery hopping, and a great way to see a lot in one day. With over 30 galleries and the Santa Monica Museum of Art tucked into one complex, sounds like a great way to take it all in. Then of course LACMA for the modern and contemporary collections, and the Getty.

And thanks to fellow foodie Gwyneth Paltrow, and her blog Goop, the list of restaurants to try is endless.

More details to come next week. Suggestions of things to do, see, eat, drink are encouraged!

(image courtesy of Tory Burch)

(images of Animal courtesy of goop.com)