Nyehaus

Art seems to be the central theme of my life these days, so it was fitting that I found myself at a party among artists, collectors, and dealers.  The celebration was for a new show focusing on Light and Space artists from California.  Yes, the gray January evening would benefit from some west coast light and warmth I thought as I entered the three story Victorian brownstone.  Nyehaus is unlike any other gallery I've visited and seems to be modeled after Alfred Stieglitz's Gallery 291.  The rooms were recently painted gray, the Corinthian columns white and the trim black to showcase the paintings.  Red silk runners and orchids decorated two large plywood tables in the dining room.  Salmon and braised vegetables were served among lively chatter ranging from the craft of negotiation, men who are ready to have children before their girlfriends, and rebellious adolescents.  Post dinner a handsome black man with a knitted cap rapped Alan Ginsberg's Howl.  Wine flowed and cigarettes were smoked indoors, a sight unseen in Los Angeles.  A band started to play on the third floor and a girl ascended the stairs with hoops.  The night was just getting started.