Benefit Gala Heralds Art Fair

The fourth International Contemporary Art Fair opened Wednesday night at the L.A. Convention Center with a gala preview that could only have taken place in the turbulent art world of 1989.

Three of the most important developments this year in the world art market were mirrored there: skyrocketing prices for blue-chip collectible art, the toll that AIDS continues to take in the American art community, and controversy over government funding for the arts.

Opening night was a benefit for the Los Angeles Pediatric AIDS Consortium, a collection of clinics and hospitals that treat mothers and children with acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

“Freedom of expression in this country is under attack,” Mayor Tom Bradley said in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Art fair director Brian Angel greeted guests and benefit chairman Doug Cramer presented an award to Councilman Joel Wachs, who fought for passage of a city endowment for the arts and an end to AIDS discrimination in the city. Also honored were British artists Gilbert & George, whose contributions to the fight against AIDS included $1 million raised from one exhibit alone.

Inside, art collectors moved quickly from booth to booth.

“We’ve seen a lot of stuff we love--all with signs that say Sold ,” said collectors Peter and Eileen Norton, taking a snack break at the fair’s lavish buffet. Fair organizer Charlie Scheips was more sanguine, sipping a drink and dealing with constant interruptions from his walkie-talkie.

“The hard job is over,” he said, “and now it’s time to have a party.”