Shepard Fairey, Neil Young help debut Perry Rubenstein gallery

By David Ng

June 4, 2012 2:18 PM PT

Shepard Fairey and Neil Young helped to unveil art dealer Perry Rubenstein’s new Los Angeles gallery at a swank party on Saturday. The new art space isn’t scheduled to officially open until late June, but Saturday’s event was a soft launch attended by the press and a handful of art-world luminaries and celebrities.

Fairey was on hand to unveil “Americana,” a small exhibition of paintings inspired by songs from Young’s new album of the same name. “Americana,” by Young and the band Crazy Horse, features re-interpretations of classic American folk songs, including “Oh, Susannah,” “Jesus’ Chariot” and “Clementine.”

In a brief interview on Saturday, Fairey said that the collaboration had come about through his friendship with Young’s manager, Elliot Roberts. The artist had collaborated with Young in the past, and he started his work on “Americana” in February. The show features about 20 works by Fairey of varying sizes.

Young described Rubenstein’s new gallery as “beautiful.” The space, on Highland Avenue in Hollywood near Fountain Avenue, is a former film supply warehouse that has been redesigned by Kulapat Yantrasast of wHY Architecture. The building features two main gallery spaces, one situated in back of the other and connected by a small, quasi-outdoor transitional space.

Among the attendees on Saturday were Steve Tisch, “Big Love” actress Ginnifer Goodwin and Jeffrey Deitch, another former New York gallery owner who has moved to L.A. Deitch, who wore a salmon-colored suit to the event, is the director of the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Rubenstein has closed his New York art space and relocated full-time to L.A. The new gallery will serve as the flagship location for his business. In addition to the Fairey show, the gallery is hosting a Helmut Newton photography exhibition as part of its inauguration.

“Helmut Newton: Sex and Landscapes” is set to open June 26.

Shepard Fairey plays himself, sort of, on ‘The Simpsons’

Perry Rubenstein Gallery’s first show will focus on Helmut Newton