Tribute to an artist and the art of giving

Looking every inch like the society women John Singer Sargent painted, philanthropist Iris Cantor was feted at the preview of an exhibition of the late 19th century artist’s work at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Sporting an intricately beaded vintage jacket by designer James Galanos, a glittering floral necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels and a Bob Mackie gown, Cantor greeted well-wishers who had come to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation and its donation of $1 million to fund the exhibit, “Sargent and Italy.”

“I love to give things, share things -- my husband had the same idea about his artworks,” said the widow of Cantor-Fitzgerald bond-trading firm founder Bernie Cantor, a man who emerged from the Bronx to amass a fortune and the world’s largest private collection of Rodin sculptures -- many of which have since been given away.

After an alfresco cocktail reception marking the Sargent exhibition, guests visited the galleries to view the works of the painter, an American born in Florence who made frequent visits to Italy. Works collected for exhibit include vividly colored portrayals of Venice and Rome’s Renaissance and Baroque buildings. Also featured: samples of his portraiture -- Sargent was once considered the leading portrait painter in the English-speaking world.

The show marks “the first major exhibition of a large portion of Sargent’s works anywhere west of the Mississippi and the first time there has been a Sargent exhibition in Los Angeles,” said Bruce Robertson, LACMA’s chief curator of the Center for American Art. “And, it’s the first time anybody has looked at Sargent’s relationship to his homeland, Italy.”

Viewing the artist’s dynamic scene of scarf-shrouded figures sweeping along a promenade in Venice, former fashion designer Gustave Tassell was captivated. “This painting has the most incredible light and movement,” he said, inching closer to the work and then moving back to gain perspective. “Look at these figures. Their faces are hidden in the dark scarves and yet you see their faces. And look at them walk! I don’t believe it.”

One of the exhibition’s highlights is a larger-than-life society portrait, “Mrs. Ralph Curtis,” a light-and-shadow-driven oil of a porcelain-skinned grand dame wearing a form-fitting pale taupe gown with billowing train. “She is ... unattainable,” observed Walter Weisman, chairman of the board of trustees.

Following Wednesday’s preview, the 150 guests strolled into the museum’s four-story atrium -- which took on the look of a Venetian palazzo with glittering chandeliers and projections of colorful architectural photographs on its walls -- for a sit-down feast of baked sea bass, mushroom ravioli and Sicilian ricotta cheesecake with orange marmalade.

“When Bernie and I established our foundation in 1978, we were already devoted to the works of John Singer Sargent and his contemporaries,” Cantor told the crowd. “I hope you agree that this sponsorship of an American painter is an ideal capstone for 25 years of support for the visual arts.”