LA LA Lovely!

California sunshine, good friends, fabulous art and jewelry shopping  – I packed a lot of fun into my latest four-day trip to LA-LA Land visiting my friend and fellow interior designer Connie McCreight.

I really needed a break after weeks and weeks of working 12- to 16-hour days, and I always return from a trip re-energized and inspired. Here are some highlights:

Browsing through the "50 For 50" exhibit honoring the 50th anniversary of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.  "50 for 50" is the first opportunity to see highlights from the recent historic bequest of A. Jerrold Perenchio, former chairman and CEO of Univision, who donated an amazing collection of 19th and 20th century masterpieces by artists including Edgar Degas and Edouard Vuillard. The entire "50 For 50" exhibition features gifts from more than 25 donors and includes works by Claude Monet, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, and Andy Warhol as well as art from Africa and decorative arts. The exhibit runs through September 13.

Some of my favorites include: "Before the Mirror," an oil on canvas by Kees Van Dongen,

Photo Courtesy of collections.lacma.org

a large, cast polyester resin sculpture by DeWain Valentine entitled "Red Concave Circle"

Photo Courtesy of collections.lacma.org

and a two-sided male-female African art mask, "Janus Reliquary Guardian Figure," that got us talking about our masculine and feminine sides.

Photo Courtesy of collections.lacma.org

Touring the once-in-a-lifetime exhibit "Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World" at the Getty Museum. This was my first visit to the Getty in eight trips to LA, but it won’t be the last. The bronze exhibit is a temporary show curated from museums throughout the world with pieces dating back to ancient Greece.  I really lucked into this opportunity, as it is very unusual for the public to view so many masterpieces from that time and place together. It is a must-see if you have the chance – it ends November 1.

Some of the pieces were discovered as recently as the early 2000s! How cool would it be to find something like that while you’re vacationing in Greece?

I learned that during the Hellenistic period from 323 B.C. to 31 B.C. bronze was the medium of artistic innovation. It’s an ideal metal for sculpture because it captures fine details, which makes the figures physically and psychologically very realistic and expressive, and it develops a beautiful patina as it ages. Another factoid: Sculptors often used copper as accents for eyelashes, eyes and lips to accentuate them.

Photo Courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org

Photo Courtesy of getty.edu/art/exhibitions

Our must- have shopping spree at the studio of jewelry/interior designer Krista Everage in Santa Monica. Her pieces are timeless little works of art made with natural gems and pearls.  Connie and I and our friend Wendi Young gathered at Krista’s house for a jewelry party and then had lunch at The Little Door. I purchased a stunning pair of peacock pearl earrings clasped by the gold hand of Athena and a diamond stud. Yummy! Every time I have worn them I get fabulous compliments, so I know they were worth the investment!