The 15th Annual Los Angeles Art Show announces 2010 Show programming. Presented by the Fine Art Dealers Association (FADA) and KR Martindale Show Management, the Los Angeles Art Show programming is a forum for exchange, engagement and enjoyment of art.  Programming will take place January 21-24 at the Los Angeles Convention Center and will feature art discussions led by notable curators, architects, a film screening, curated exhibitions and children’s art activities.

The Los Angeles Art Show will debut its first annual Guest Country Program.  Beginning in 2010, the Guest Country Program will showcase an individual country’s arts and highlight selected works in a Special Exhibition at the Los Angeles Art Show.  This year, the Los Angeles Art Show  welcomes the country of Uruguay.  Under the direction of the Dirección Nacional de Cultura and the Ministero de Educaión y Cultura, a special exhibition of Uruguay’s top International  artists  will be on view at the show.  The exhibition will be accompanied by a lecture.

Gustavo Tabares, Curator of the Guest Country Exhibition 34° 53′ 0″ S - 56° 10′ 0″ W, will lead a lecture about the exhibition that features cutting-edge Latin American art including artists Raquel Bessio, Juan Burgos, Wilfredo Diaz Valdez, Lacy Duarte, Pablo Uribe, Ernesto Vila, and Nelson Ramos. 

34° 53’ 0” S - 56° 10’ 0” W showcases seven important Uruguayan artists. Four of the selected artists, Ernesto Vilas, Lacy Duarte, Nelson Ramos and Wifredo Días Valdez, are viewed as “Maestros” (Masters), each winning a prestigious Figari Prize. Paired alongside Raquel Bessio, Pablo Uribe and Jan Burgos, the artists participated in the Uruguay Pavilion of the 53rd International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale.  The Uruguay exhibition at the Los Angeles Art Show reflects the diversity of the contemporary arts production in Uruguay and the significance of issues such as identity, globalization, memory and critical reflection in Uruguayan fine arts.

Additional curated project spaces that will also be on view.

·       Signs: Contemporary Middle Eastern Art: A rare West Coast viewing of seminal Middle-Eastern artists contributing to the social and aesthetic dialogue of the modern global exchange. Presented by Sundaram Tagore Galleries and curated by Karin Adrian von Roques.

·       Snapshot. Bennett Simpson, Associate Curator of MOCA, Los Angeles, curates this special snapshot of current MFA artists from CalArts, Claremont Graduate University, Otis, and USC. Presented by the Los Angeles Art Show in association with Los Angeles Art Association (LAAA).

·       The Sister Cities of Los Angeles International Art Exhibition. Los Angeles Sister Cities creates and strengthens relationships between Los Angeles and her 24 sister cities around the world. A special exhibition of works commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall will be on display at the Los Angeles Art Show.  Sister Cities International Art Exhibition includes works from Vancouver, Canada; Nagoya, Japan; Bahia, Brazil; Split, Croatia; Ischia, Italy; Beirut, Lebanon; Berlin, Germany; Kaunas, Lithuania; Athens, New Zealand; Mumbai India and Mexico City, Mexico, among others..

         Vox Humana: a live art performance by legendary Los Angeles street artists Mear One, Kofie, Retna, and El Mac. Organized by the L.A. ART MACHINE and curated by Bryson Strauss, will take place from January 20 - 24, 2010.  Working on large-scale canvases, the artists will begin their work on January 20 and will paint live each day from noon to 6 PM. Using acrylic and aerosol paints, Retna and El Mac will collaborate on a canvas that is 12 x 24 feet, while Kofie and Mear One will work independently on 12 x 12 foot canvases. Los Angeles Art Show attendees are invited to witness the completion of the works on Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 2 PM, and participate in an art celebration.

The Los Angeles Art Show Symposia Series facilitates discussion between leading art professionals on topics of collecting, exhibitions, artists and the state of the arts in the international arena. This highly respected series brings together art and design experts and professionals.  Complete schedule as follows:

Thursday, January 21

2pm

Contemporary Art of Uruguay

Gustavo Tabares Curator of the Guest Country Exhibition 34° 53′ 0″ S - 56° 10′ 0″ W will speak on the rich artistic vision of this culturally diverse Latin American Country. 

Friday, January 22

2pm

The Fine Art of Collecting Prints

Collectors/Curators/Writers, Reba and Dave Williams, and Kevin Murphy, Ph.D. Associate Curator of American Art at the Huntington Art Collections.  Moderator:  Michelle Deizel, former curator at the Norton Simon Museum. 

Saturday, January 23 

1pm

Side Street Projects Children’s

Woodworking for children 5 years and up—email Emily@sidestreet.org for registration information.

2pm

Art in the Modernist Home

Architect, Stephen Kanner FAIA, Frederick Fisher, FAIA, James Magni, FAIA and Michael Palladino offer their insights into architecture and design concepts as they relate to the artwork in their client’s homes. 

Sunday, January 24

1pm

Inner City Arts Children’s Activity Room

Children’s art activity room with instruction from two Inner-City Arts talented artist/teachers, beginning at 1pm until supplies are gone!

Inner-City Arts unique teaching approach offers children the opportunity to communicate their feelings and ideas via the universal language of art.  Come see for what it’s all about! (Please note that a parent or guardian must accompany all children at all times).

2pm

Film screening of “All About Prints”

Produced by Stereopticon Pictures, and directed by Christopher Noey, made possible by the generous support of Reba and Dave Williams through The Print Research Foundation. Sponsored by the IFDPA.

Print Demonstrations at the IFPDA Print Fair

Back by popular demand, the IFPDA is pleased to announce the return appearance of Los Angeles printmaker Dave Lefner, demonstrating the technique of block printing on wood and linoleum.  Visit the IFPDA Print Demonstration booth for a peak at the processes behind the art of printmaking.  Dave will show how the block can be printed in many ways, by varying the paper on which it is printed, the color(s) in which it is printed, the humidity of the paper, etc., creating a unique impression each time.

Presented by the Fine Art Dealers Association (www.fada.com), the Los Angeles Art Show takes place on January 20-24, 2010 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015.   Los Angeles Art Show programming is included with show admission. For additional information about the Los Angeles Art Show, to register for a lecture or purchase online tickets, please visit www.laartshow.com.   General admission to the Los Angeles Art Show is $20.  General Show Dates:  Thursday-Sunday, January 21-24, 2010.  Opening Night Preview and Gala:  Wednesday, January 20, 2010.  For additional information about the Opening Night Preview or to purchase tickets, please call the Los Angeles County Museum of Art 323-857-6501.    Media inquiries please contact Agnes Gomes-Koizumi at agnes@agkmedia.com or call 323-937-5488. 

About the Fine Art Dealers Association:

The Fine Art Dealers Association was founded in 1990 as a non-profit membership organization of respected and established dealers from across the United States. Its members are dedicated to promoting and maintaining the highest degree of professionalism, scholarship and integrity in all business conducted with colleagues, institutions and the art buying public. Membership in FADA is highly selective and by invitation only. Each member has expert knowledge of the artist or periods in which he or she specializes and maintains a corresponding inventory. In addition to demonstrating a commitment to enriching the cultural lives of their communities, members share their expertise through significant exhibitions, informative catalogs, and by offering quality works of art whose authenticity is unconditionally guaranteed.  For additional information on the Fine Art Dealers Association, please visit http://www.fada.com.