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In case you thought Los Angeles is all about Disneyland, Hollywood Boulevard and spotting celebrities in sweats and shades ordering their morning coffee at noon, think again. Los Angeles is home to numerous art museums along with a dynamic art scene.
There are several pockets of artists, galleries, and of course a little place called the Getty Center. Nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains, gorgeous, free admission, great food, hands-on art for kids. I could go on. Other must-visit museums are LACMA and MOCA. But, as the founder of artmuse.com once said to me, “It's both inspiring and frustrating to go to museums. Inspiring because I see art that is so beautiful, yet, I see art that I want to buy and I can’t because it costs so much. It makes it difficult to include real art in my life.” Now we know why Bonnie founded artmuse.com.
So how about Bergamot Station? This is basically a supermall of art galleries, with lots of affordable and collectable art and decorative arts. Located on an industrial boulevard in Santa Monica, just ten minutes from the beach and 15 minutes from Beverly Hills, the former trolley switching station is now an art complex. With free parking, free admission, and being freeway accessible, it has been an instant hit since it opened 16 years ago with only three galleries and has grown to 25 galleries now.
Thankfully it solves the traffic and parking problem for art lovers, no small feat in Los Angeles. There is no question it improves art access for would-be buyers who can browse and shop till they find what they want.
Gallery hours are typical: 10 to 6 (Tuesday-Friday), 11 to 5:30 (Saturday), but closed on Sunday and Monday. But there are always special events and on any given Friday or Saturday, several openings one can wander into. I recently attended my old friend Laura Lasworth’s opening at the Lora Schlesinger Gallery at Bergamot. Laura does painstakingly rendered oils of a kind of hyper reality, always subtly themed with eternal religious questions. Said the L.A. Times’ Leah Ollman, “Lasworth is a painter of uncommon integrity, uniting the symbolic, soulful and sensual with absolute grace.” Not surprisingly, there were lots of red sold dots on her work, even on opening night.
I’m sure thousands of people drive by the corrugated buildings on Olympic Boulevard and have no idea what surprises lie inside the large art compound. I highly recommend you squeeze in a visit to Bergamot Station on your next surf trip to SoCal. They have coffee, though I can’t promise any celebrities in sweats.
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written by Laura Glendinning
Inspired by the love of Art and Artists, artmuse.com was founded on the principle that everyone needs more Art in their life. Collectors can fill their life with new Art and Artists can make Art. It is a winning combination for everyone. $25 Collector Prints—contemporary, collectible, affordable—Art for All | Live Artfully.™
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