. . . but Is It Art? Therein Lies the Appeal of Baldessari’s Conceptual Pieces

Art dealer Christopher Grimes has spent a career focused on the art of Northern California. But in the two years since heading south and establishing himself in Santa Monica, Grimes has learned the virtues of the Los Angeles art scene.

Even if the Bay Area can still boast a deeper history in architecture and other media, he said, he has found more encouragement within the younger community here for the cerebral, less conservative work he shows.

“It’s really a learning process for me, being down here,” said Grimes, 35. “There’s so much support for the arts through the institutions and the galleries, and there’s a lot of latitude in what’s being shown. There’s some great work up in San Francisco, and there are some very interesting artists, but I think the community here, by and large, is really much more supportive.”

Grimes’ developing fondness for the local community manifests itself, at least symbolically, in his current show of veteran Southern California-bred conceptual artist John Baldessari. The collection of abstract photographic collages, book illustrations and posters is largely political in theme. And it follows the recent Baldessari career retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

With MOCA’s touring museum show, which has since moved on to the San Francisco Museum of Art, Grimes’ exhibition is contributing to an expanding public appreciation of Baldessari, long respected in Europe and influential within conceptual art circles.

The gallery show emphasizes work that “blurs the distinction between mass production and fine art,” Grimes said. Many of the pieces were designed to transmit political messages beyond the art audience. Among those is a billboard depicting in epic proportion the burning of a Jewish chapel in 1930s Austria. On an adjacent wall hangs a Baldessari-designed New York subway card critical of U.S. intervention in El Salvador’s bloody civil war.

Standing beneath the skylight of his new, larger space on 17th Street, Grimes said the Baldessari show is an exception to the gallery’s general focus on Northern California art. The exhibition mainly reflects his own collection of the artist’s work, since Baldessari is officially represented by the Margo Leavin Gallery in West Hollywood.

Conceptual art by John Baldessari, through Aug. 23, Christopher Grimes Gallery, 1644 17th St., Santa Monica; (213) 450-5962. Open Tuesday through Saturday.

FOR CHARITY’S SAKE: Telethons and arena-size rock concerts aren’t the only means of raising money to fight various social ills. The local art community proved as much in May by collecting about $75,000 with a benefit art auction for Project Angel Food, the charity that delivers food to the homes of AIDS patients in Los Angeles.

In coming weeks, benefit art events will be raising more money for a pair of local causes, while giving collectors a chance to purchase art at reduced prices.

This Thursday, the Spare Change Project and Galerie Michael will sponsor an auction benefiting the Family Assistance Program, which rehabilitates homeless families with counseling, job training, shelter and medical attention. “The Fine Art of Helping” auction, which has set a goal of $60,000, will be presented at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel and will offer a selection of work from such varied artists as David Hockney, Pablo Picasso and several local artists.

Auctioneer for the event and a key organizer is Michael Schwartz, owner of Galerie Michael. “Without him there would be no event,” said Linda Ford, who founded the Spare Change fund-raising arm of the Family Assistance Program. “The people who come to these events are his patrons. We already know they’ve got money, and they know they will get good art at low prices.”

On July 29, “Fantastica ‘90” will lead participants on a tour through West Hollywood’s Pacific Design Center, various galleries, showrooms and antique shops in a benefit for the Los Angeles Free Clinic.

Among 120 works donated by artists and galleries will be paintings and sculpture by Sam Francis, Frank Romero and Joe Goode. Organizers are hoping to net $100,000 with the event.

“The Fine Art of Helping,” an art auction benefiting the Family Assistance Program, 6 p.m. Thursday, at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, 1700 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica; (213) 550-6771. Admission is $35.

And, “Fantastica ‘90,” a tour of West Hollywood studios and a silent auction to benefit the Los Angeles Free Clinic, noon to 5 p.m. July 29. Admission is $25. For information, call (213) 653-0440.