KIM SCHOENSTADT 'ENTER SLOWLY, THE LEGACY OF AN IDEA' AT PETER AND MERLE MULLIN GALLERY
Los Angeles-based artist Kim Schoenstadt began researching women architects in 2019. One name kept making itself known to her, over, and over again—Eileen Gray.
‘A telenovela of architecture’ — artist Kim Schoenstadt honors Eileen Gray’s E-1027 house
If walls could talk, the house known as E-1027 could write a bestseller.
Kim Schoenstadt: Enter Slowly, The Legacy of an Idea
Kim Schoenstadt: Enter Slowly, The Legacy of an Idea was envisaged by Schoenstadt as less an intervention onto Gray’s masterpiece than a synthesis of memory and a rumination of error through acts of restoration and reinterpretation. “I never lived in Gray’s head, nor can I ever understand how she would respond to the house,” says Schoenstadt.
Time and place inspire Ladies’ Room exhibition
With more than 50 paintings in the series, she presented them to Annie Wharton, the gallery director and curator who chose pieces for the exhibition.
The first new high-rise in L.A.’s historic Broadway Theater District in a century makes its debut
Perla also benefits from a robust art program headed by Annie Wharton Art Consulting: 33 new commissioned works, including paintings, photography, sculpture, and more, are distributed throughout the building’s public spaces, with 90 percent the creations of women and BIPOC artists, all 22 of whom are L.A.-based.
Historic Theatre District welcomes first high rise in a century
“It is exceptional for a residential tower to commission new artworks on this scale,” Wharton said. “What makes this program even more suited to the space is that all the artists and artisans are Los Angeles residents. Although integrated with the building’s exquisite architecture and interiors, these artists bring an authentic, sophisticated essence to the many public spaces. This is a testament to the vision of those who created this special place.”
$320-million condo tower completed on Broadway
“The building expresses the historic context of Broadway and DTLA’s Historic Core within a completely modern building,” said CallisonRTKL senior vice president Daun St. Amand in a prepared statement. “This is the first high-rise on Broadway in a century. So the façade honors that legacy with references such as the texture of historic stone cladding like that of original skyscrapers.”
Annie Wharton Art Consulting Commissions 33 Original Artworks for $320-million Condominium Project in Downtown Los Angeles
As advisor to private clients and the founder of LADIES’ ROOM (a downtown LA gallery that exclusively exhibits women and non-binary artists), Annie Wharton welcomed the opportunity to enhance and transform Perla’s spaces into visual tours de force. After Wharton’s team presented 90 artists to SCG and its interior design consultant (HBA), in the end, 21 artists/artist teams—comprising 90% women and BIPOC artists—were commissioned to create 33 works for the project, underscoring the necessity for representation.
Julika Lackner | Los Angeles' Eagle Rock in a Time of Nocturnal Stillness
Lackner just finished participation in a three-artist show, Pattern Recognition, at Santa Barbara’s Sullivan Goss, and is currently featured in Garden, a massive group exhibition hosted by LA’s Ladies’ Room, spearheaded by curator and consultant Annie Wharton
LADIES' ROOM | BALLS TO THE WALL
It may not be the Met, but Annie Wharton is taking leaps to combat gender inequality in the art world. Wharton, an independent curator and consultant, recently opened LADIES’ ROOM, a space in downtown Los Angeles’ historic Bendix Building dedicated to featuring the works of femme, gender nonconforming, non-binary trans- and cis- women.
Like her noteworthy predecessors, Wharton is not shy about sharing the sobering statistics. “When nearly 2 million different art auction sales were studied, it was found that female artists earn an average of 47% of their male artist counterparts,” the About section of the website reads. “Only 31% of solo exhibitions in museums are female artists,” is continues.
Historic Bendix Building Becomes a Downtown Art Haven
“We are very proud of what is happening there,” Hirsh says. “It started small; we've had artist studios in there, low-key, for years. [Art consultant and curator] Annie Wharton really helped with that, and she's still a big part of it. Finding artists to move in, you could say curating the building in a way. And it's a great building, with a mix of spaces that are just perfect for artists and shows.”
From the foundations laid by Wharton, Hirsh describes how a network sort of grew, word-of-mouth, across a stratum of the art world he hadn't been familiar with before but is thrilled to have gotten to know.
Pierce Brosnan "Gobsmacked" After His Bob Dylan Painting Sells for $1.4M
Art insider Annie Wharton of Annie Wharton Art Consulting has a different opinion, however.
"Any artist who wants a legitimate career in art needs practice, just like actors or singers need to hone their craft. I am hired to be very discerning, and I personally do not think this work is ready for the critical L.A. art world. With practice, guidance, and time his art could become relevant. With celebrity artwork, many mistakenly conflate artistic genius with the genius' hobby, such is the case with the brilliant musical work of David Bowie and his mediocre paintings."
Frieze to bring West Coast buzz to New York
Plugging into the wealthy Silicon Valley and Beach communities will be crucial for success. “My clients tend to be tech and entertainment executives....One of the unique challenges for the fair will be getting the word out to this demographic,” says Annie Wharton, a Los Angeles-based adviser.
What's next for Walker Art Center? There's a ripe opportunity for the new boss
“Sensitivity to local culture is going to be essential, as evidenced by the Sam Durant controversy,” said Annie Wharton, a Los Angeles-based art consultant. “But if the Walker wishes to maintain an ideal of being a world-class institution, they will need to bring in someone with a global vision for their future.”
Annie Wharton: Artist & Curator
Annie Wharton, once a showcasing artist, has settled into Los Angeles helping the art scene as a curator and consultant boom in various neighborhoods. She has opened a number of galleries in unlikely places and now owns her own consulting company. She is curating the lineup of design brands for Skybar's inaugural upcoming event, Wine & Design, this Thursday.
The Betty Roberts Room
Inside the Pacific Design Center, at the Annie Wharton Los Angeles gallery, a room is deconstructed, broken, dimmed, shuttered, its white walls left only to be imagined.