Their L.A. premiere

“It’s as close to a marquee as you can get,” Murray Moss declares, standing next to the white neon spelling out his name. It’s a fitting assessment from a New York tastemaker announcing his first venture in Los Angeles: an offshoot of the eponymous Manhattan showroom where he redefined the high-end home store as art gallery. Moss, above right, and his partner and galleries president Franklin Getchell, above left, may be newcomers to L.A., but they’ve clearly been schooled in at least one Hollywood adage: Open big. The couple is launching the new space with “Glitter and Smoke,” an exhibition of 18 Swarovski Crystal Palace chandeliers that sparkle like Oscar-night jewels, accompanied by a 1938 Steinway piano “fire-sculpted” by Dutch sensation Maarten Baas. Other pieces will include Tord Boontje’s storybook garden sculpture made of laser-cut steel, and Fernando and Humberto Campana’s cheeky chairs upholstered with stuffed animals. “Ultimately, we’re theater people. That’s the company game here, right?” Moss says during a break in prepartions for an invite-only party tonight and the public opening Friday. “We have to create a stage for the work to speak.” Stated like a Hollywood veteran. 8444 Melrose Ave.; (323) 866-5260; www.mossonline.com.

-- Craig Nakano