The City of West Hollywood’s Arts Division has installed two new temporary art exhibitions at West Hollywood Library, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. Angel of Compassion is a series of seven mixed-media paintings by artist S.P. Harper and Cacti (Euphorbia, Monstrosus, and Mod Cactus Trio) is a trio of ceramic and metal sculptural totems by artist Dustin Gimbel. The exhibitions are available to view during regular library hours.
Photos of the galleries can be found here:
Angel of Compassion by S.P. Harper
(High Resolution Photos by Jon Viscott, Courtesy City of West Hollywood)
Angel of Compassion is a series of seven paintings by artist S.P. Harper featuring images of jewels that were originally owned by Elizabeth Taylor and sold by her estate to benefit the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation after her death. Prior to their auction in 2011, these jewels were displayed on a four-stop worldwide tour, including at the Pacific Design Center gallery space across the street from West Hollywood Library.
Taylor was one of the first celebrities to participate in HIV/AIDS activism. She helped to raise more than $270 million for the cause and received the Presidential Citizens Medal in 2001 for her philanthropic efforts. Taylor was considered a fashion icon, receiving the Lifetime of Glamour Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 1997. She collected jewelry through her life, and published a book about her collection, My Love Affair with Jewelry, which is included as a reference copy near the exhibition. Also included as a reference copy is the book 700 Nimes Road, which features 129 images captured by Catherine Opie of Elizabeth Taylor’s home around the time of her death, including several images of Taylor’s jewelry collection the day Christie’s packed it up for auction.
Artist S.P. Harper paints and sculpts abstract geometrics using recycled materials. What begins as refuse is repurposed, transforming base materials into noble objects. By reforming and re-employing, the work fits into eco-centric art (aka neo-materialism) to reduce, reuse, and up-cycle. She is inspired by her grandfather, Archibald Picking, who was a diamantaire (diamond cutter) before becoming a conductor for Pacific Electric Railway Company (also known as the Red Cars).
Harper studied art at American University in Paris, France, USC Roski School of Art and Design (BFA), and advanced studies at ArtCenter in Pasadena. After spending 12 years in New York, Harper returned to Los Angeles to teach and practice eco-centric art. She has exhibited internationally at Neutra Institute Museum; Autry Southwest Museum; Torrance Art Museum; Museum of Art & History, Lancaster, CA; Centro Cultural di Milano, Milan; The Holy Art, The Factory Gallery, London; and The Living Room Gallery, W Hotel Hollywood.
Cacti (Euphorbia, Monstrosus, and Mod Cactus Trio) is a trio of ceramic and metal sculptural totems by artist Dustin Gimbel. These totems stand as a reflection on xeriscaping, a practice that embraces drought-tolerant landscapes to conserve water in an era of increasing scarcity. The City of West Hollywood holds a deep commitment to sustainability and one of its core values is Responsibility for the Environment. Sustainability means thinking about our behavior in a global and long-term context, recognizing that the choices we make today have a profound effect on our future.
Artist Dustin Gimbel is a sculptor and designer whose work is deeply influenced by his fascination with plants and the natural world but also manmade forms, often exploring the intersection between the two. Formally trained in horticulture, Gimbel worked in nurseries and botanical gardens in the United States and England before transitioning to landscape design, where he spent years shaping properties through the integration of plants and artistic hardscape elements. In 2016, Gimbel sought new creative challenges and began working in ceramics. In 2019, he showcased his art on a large scale in his exhibition Sculptura Botanica at Sherman Library and Gardens in Newport Beach, California.
Today, Gimbel is probably best known for his distinctive and often playful totems, which draw inspiration from desert and cactus forms. His works utilize abstract shapes, including fins, loops, sharp angles, and bold graphic silhouettes, showcasing a unique blend of organic inspiration and geometric precision.
Also currently on view at West Hollywood Library:
- Remembering Beverly Park, a display of historic photographs of the children’s amusement park formerly located just outside the border of West Hollywood.
- Historic WeHo, Architectural Details, a selection of architectural details of West Hollywood’s historic buildings as taken by Tony Coelho.
- West Hollywood Park, a painting by Jay Lynn Gomez highlighting invisible labor forces.
- Platanus Bibliotechalis, a permanent, site-specific sculpture of an imaginary sycamore tree by David Wiseman.
The City of West Hollywood’s Arts Division delivers a broad array of arts programs including Art on the Outside (temporary public art), City Poet Laureate, Drag Laureate, Free Theatre in the Parks, Grants, Human Rights Speaker Series, Library Exhibits, National Poetry Month, Summer Sounds + Winter Sounds, Urban Art (permanent public art), the WeHo Pride Arts Festival, and WeHo Reads.
For more information about City of West Hollywood arts programming, please visit www.weho.org/arts.
