Wilshire Center

Savoy Memories: Ah, nostalgia--those luscious idols of the big screen, those ornate movie-palace proscenium carvings of mythological figures, those lone movie fans who sat in balcony seats fenced in by a shiny brass rail! Well, folks, Patrick Morrison keeps the vision alive. Without a touch of apparent irony, he offers “Studies From Memory of the Savoy,” a batch of paintings palpitating with the romance of yesteryear. Yes, it’s all there, right down to the pompon on the cap of the sailor lighting his cigarette as he turns momentarily from the giant flanks of King Kong on the silver screen.

What? You prefer something with a bit more bite, a contemporary flavor? Well how about “Hollywood Psyche,” in which a woman--poor thing, she’s probably obsessed with cellulite--lifts her dress to examine her naked hip in the mirror while a gilt Cupid crashes into the scene. Or, better yet, a multicultural experience at poolside: A health club-worthy rear view of a tormented nude sunbathing behind a cunning still life of a little Buddha statue and an ashtray from which smoke curls up like incense. In these paintings and others of the same ilk, color rises to a frantic pitch and harsh golden lighting rakes over gilt, smoke and flesh. It’s high camp without the wink. (McGrath Gallery, 454 N. Robertson Blvd., to Tuesday.