Bat Art Marks 50 Years of Caped Crusading

You watched the series, you bought the T-shirt and you’ve seen the movie. Now Batman is moving into the art world.

Mayer-Schwarz Gallery and Galerie Michael in Beverly Hills will present a dual exhibition of original art by Batman creator Bob Kane later this month, marking the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Caped Crusader.

The exhibits will feature original oils on canvas by Kane, as well as gouaches on paper, pen-and-ink sketches and limited-edition graphics. Kane said the exhibit will have “all the original comic book characters and villains,” with an emphasis on Batman and the Joker.

On July 12, the exhibits will be inaugurated at Mayer-Schwarz with a party from 7 to 10 p.m. that benefits the American Child Foundation, a Los Angeles-based group dedicated to introducing and educating children about the arts. Tickets are $25.

A concurrent party at Galerie Michael will be private and open only to the gallery’s supporters and patrons. Kane will appear at both functions. Thereafter, all the art will be on exhibit at Galerie Michael. The exhibit will continue through Aug. 1 and be open to the public.

For information about the benefit, call Kathy Foster at (213) 688-7200.

Mayer-Schwarz Gallery, 411 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills. (213) 278-4666.

Galerie Michael, 430 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills. (213) 273-3377. Open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays.

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LEGENDS IN PERFORMANCE: “Art to Heart,” a performance art series, will offer its second installment of performances Saturday and July 8 at the 73 Market Street Theater in Venice.

“Art to Heart” is a series of conversations between actors impersonating performers and artists from various eras, presented by Los Angeles painter Ariel Heart in conjunction with Carine Fabius. The first “Art to Heart” featured unscripted conversation and audience questions with painters James McNeill Whistler, Eugene Delacroix and Alice Neel.

This weekend’s installment will feature actors Douglas J. Marsalli, Judith Piquet and Chris Kinkaid as, respectively, Frederic Chopin, Cass Elliot and Jim Morrison.

“Americans are very concerned about the level of education in this country,” Fabius said. “I feel that if it were made a little more interesting, using imaginative techniques like this, we could educate not only children but adults who want to know a little more about artists who they might or might not be familiar with.”

In keeping with their stated goal of “education, performance, art,” Fabius and Heart are videotaping the “Art for Heart” performances for public-access broadcasting and later use in schools.

Tickets are $10 and reservations are essential. Performances are at 8 and 10 p.m. For information, contact Barbara at (213) 668-2588.

73 Market Street Theater, 73 Market St. (at Horizon Court), Venice.

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NEIMAN AT HIS LEISURE: LeRoy Neiman, the artist best known for his vibrant color fields, sports paintings and close association with Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner, is the subject of a major show running at the Dyansen Gallery in Beverly Hills.

Prices for Neiman’s work have escalated during the recent art market boom. A collection of 60 original paintings, which made its debut at Dyansen’s New York gallery May 3, drew first-day sales in excess of $2 million.

Entitled “Man at His Leisure,” the Beverly Hills exhibit features some of the same paintings seen in New York, along with others added specifically for the Los Angeles exhibition. The paintings are drawn from the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s--and the Los Angeles and New York collections combined make up one-quarter of Neiman’s lifetime work.

The exhibit will close July 13.

Dyansen Gallery, 339 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills. (213) 275-0165. Open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays and Mondays, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.