A Lavish Opening Gala for MOCA’s Latest Venture

The Museum of Contemporary Art launched its newest venue, the MOCA Gallery at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, with a lavish gala Friday honoring architect Frank O. Gehry and MOCA board chairwoman Audrey M. Irmas, both of whom have been influential in establishing the museum.

Back in the early 1980s, it was Gehry who transformed a former city warehouse and police garage in Little Tokyo into the Temporary Contemporary--now the Geffen Contemporary--while MOCA’s permanent home on California Plaza was being completed. And Irmas, a trustee since 1992, co-chaired the museum’s $25-million campaign. In 1998, she set up an endowment in memory of her husband, Sidney, which funds one large-scale exhibition each year in his name in perpetuity.

The gallery’s inaugural exhibition, “Superflat,” a collection of art, animation, fashion and graphic design made in Japan, set the theme for the evening. Patrick Keady, president of the MOCA volunteers, and his pals donned Issey Miyake-designed bright turquoise kimonos imprinted with artist Takashi Murakami’s trademark “eyes” to welcome more than 800 guests, who paid $500 per person to graze at elaborate sushi bars, check out the art and dine and dance in a humongous tent on the Pacific Design Center grounds.

Taking a poll of culture vultures at these events is always dicey. Christie’s president Andrea Fiuczynski predicted: “Ask 10 people. You’ll get 10 different answers.”

She was so right. Some of the brave observations included Gehry’s “Go ask that guy over there” and Peter Barker’s “It’s an interesting space.” The Rev. Maurice Chase viewed it as “an acquired artistic taste; sort of like oysters?” and John Van de Kamp finessed with “Go ask Andrea.”

MOCA trustee Dallas Price expressed concern about plans to publicly burn Katsushige Nakahashi’s giant airplane sculpture at the close of the exhibit. Constructed entirely from photographs of a Japanese Zero, his work is intended to evoke the trauma of World War II and reduce it to “zero.” “I hope I can talk them out of it. I want it for the Museum of Flying,” said Price.

Creating the new turf was a lot smoother than “Superflat’s” journey to Los Angeles. A satellite gallery on the Westside was an idea pursued by MOCA trustee Cliff Einstein and Pacific Design Center owner Charles Cohen, who generously donated the space. However, Murakami, organizer of the exhibit, was detained by immigration officials upon arrival in the U.S. and has also been hospitalized twice since entering the country.

MOCA director Jeremy Strick was euphoric as he lauded gala co-chairwomen Grace Krakover, Evy Rappaport and Laurie Rubin. (The event raised more than $400,000.) Irmas was elated, too. “As a young mother whose husband was a vet attending law school, I sat on the front porch waiting for the mailman to deliver our monthly $85 Cal-vet stipend,” she said. “I never dreamed I’d be standing here being honored alongside one of the great architects of the century. Welcome to my bat mitzvah!”

All took home T-shirt souvenirs, and a few lucky ones snagged the centerpieces, Murakami’s plastic flower-covered dolls donated by the Peter Norton Family Foundation.

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Coming up: Three cancer survivors who were treated at Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center will join the center’s execs on Thursday to break ground for the expansion of the center’s cancer center and medical office building. Glendale Memorial CEO Arnold Schaffer says the expansion will be complete in spring 2002.

Frank E. Baxter, chairman of Jefferies & Co., and the Skirball Cultural Center will be honored by Bet Tzedek at a gala dinner-dance at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City on Saturday. Eli Broad, David Fisher, Dale R. Laurance and Mayor Richard Riordan are honorary chairmen of the event, which will fund Bet Tzedek’s free legal services to more than 10,000 people yearly at its headquarters in the Fairfax district, the Valley Rights Project offices in North Hollywood and at more than 30 senior centers throughout L.A. County. Tickets: $300. Information: call (323) 549-5831.

For the first time, Big Brothers of Los Angeles/Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Inland Empire is hosting a tribute dinner. It will be held Feb. 1 at the Regal Biltmore Hotel. Honorees will include Derek Fisher of the Lakers, Bishop Charles Blake, pastor of West Angeles Church of God in Christ, Carolina Duarte, executive director of Big Sisters Los Angeles, and Kevin Dyer, Allstate insurance executive. Founded by Walt Disney in 1955, the organization has mentored more than 10,000 children and youths since its inception. For information, call (323) 258-3333.

In honor of Black History Month, JazzAntiqua Dance and Music Ensemble will stage “A Night to Remember,” at the California African-American Museum in Exposition Park on Feb. 3. The evening will launch a five-year fund-raising campaign to benefit JazzAntiqua’s Art of Jazz youth mentorship and community outreach programs and to expand a dance and music educational resource center in Leimert Park. Tickets are $35 per person. For more information, call (323) 292-1538.

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Patt Diroll can be reached at patt diroll@earthlink.net.