Maximillian Gallery
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Caradoc Ehrenhalt |
The famed Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood has long been a favorite of the rock ’n’ roll set (Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, Justin Timberlake and members of Kings of Leon have all checked in), but lately its eclectic-cool quotient seems to be skyrocketing. The hotel recently underwent a $30 million revamp and expansion, and late last year got an injection of contemporary art with the opening of Maximillian Gallery.
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Summer by Amaranth Ehrenhalt |
“I was dragged in and out of museums my whole life,” says gallery owner and director Caradoc Ehrenhalt, who was raised in France and is the grandson of the late art dealer Esther Robles, once a creative force on LA’s art scene. “It’s in my DNA, and I wanted the gallery to have a feeling of being at home.” Located off the lobby and across from Bar 1200, the intimate 600-square-foot space features dark-wood floors and a breezy terrace decorated by a fountain and a limited-edition Speed Racer surfboard designed by Ehrenhalt and handmade by LA local Scott Anderson.
The gallery represents innovative, established and emerging contemporary fine artists, including painters, sculptors, photographers and illustrators, with new talent rotated in constantly. Its first show, running through the middle of this month, features five decades’ worth of colorful works on paper and paintings by Abstract Expressionist New York School artist (and Ehrenhalt’s mother) Amaranth Ehrenhalt. Also in March, a new exhibit showcases the creations of Swiss graphic artist Jérôme Curchod, and later this spring, French street artist Jean Faucheur will display his work, coinciding with MOCA’s graffiti show, "Art in the Streets."
The gallery also features a high-end functional-art and unique-gifts store featuring hand-painted guitars from rock ’n’ roll artist Pamelina H., skull candles, flasks and sterling silver jewelry from Celia de Flers (who has a fan in Johnny Depp). “The clientele, the rock ’n’ roll history and the fact there’s a recording studio downstairs [in the hotel] makes this a really unique space,” says Ehrenhalt, who plans to expand Maximillian (the name of the gallery is also his middle name) to other cities. And for the rock star in all of us, Maximillian Gallery offers private appointments and stays open late. 1200 Alta Loma Road, West Hollywood
