Artist Taking Bite From Hand That Feeds Him

The price on his paintings continues to rise. So does the blood pressure of the critics. And still, New York artist Mark Kostabi grows ever more successful, even as he publicly ridicules those who buy his work.

By calling the modern art world a “farce” and proclaiming his own work to be that of a hack, Kostabi has been a seemingly ubiquitous irritant on the New York gallery/club scene for a few years now.

Interested parties, or those who are merely wealthy and masochistic, have two chances to check out Kostabi’s work. The Hanson Galleries in Beverly Hills are presenting “Neo Geo to Neo Ceo,” a collection of his paintings and sculpture.

Kostabi came to national attention recently when he ridiculed the taste of Sylvester Stallone on television’s “A Current Affair” after Stallone had bought two of his paintings. Both the artist and the actor attended last weekend’s International Contemporary Art Fair at the L.A. Convention Center. The two certainly weren’t hanging out together; word has it that Stallone returned the artwork after he heard of the broadcast.

The Tamara Bane Gallery will give a New Year’s Eve party for the artist, with food, an open bar and signed copies of Kostabi’s book for guests. A free public reception for the Bane gallery show will be held Jan. 6, and the exhibition there continues through Feb. 2.

Admission to both galleries is free; tickets to the New Year’s party are $100.

Hanson Galleries, 323 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills; (213) 205-3922; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Tamara Bane Gallery, 8025 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles; (213) 651-1400; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday.

FORTE & FORCE: The Ivey Gallery is presenting “Force of the Figure,” a one-man show of paintings by Wayne Forte. Forte, who was born in the Philippines and raised in California, studied at the Sorbonne and lived in Brazil. These cross-cultural influences are evident in his large figure paintings, which impart a feeling of dynamism and movement.

The exhibit, which opened Saturday, will continue through Jan. 21.

Ivey Gallery, 154 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles; (213) 937-9299; 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

LANDSCAPE RETROSPECTIVE: The landscapes of Ojai’s Gregory MacIntosh and San Diego’s Mario Uribe are being presented along with works by the late Paul Landacre in an exhibit at the Anca Colbert Ltd. Gallery through Jan. 10.

Landacre’s wood engravings, MacIntosh’s pastels on paper and Uribe’s acrylics on gesso paper will constitute the bulk of “In Search of Landscape Lost,” the latest in Colbert’s exhibitions of works on paper.

Anca Colbert Ltd., 7278 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; (213) 937-7573; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and by appointment.