We are delighted to present this exciting exhibition featuring California artist Alexander Meller,  featuring 8 recently restored oil paintings in addition to several others from our collection.

The exhibition premieres on December 22, 2023, with an opening reception from 4-7pm, and ongoing through January 21, 2023 and beyond, as inventory remains.

Preview our first exhibition in conjunction with Perez Art Walk's Inaugural Fourth Friday on Friday, September 22 from 4-7pm. The exhibition will continue through October 23, 2023.

David's wife, Martha Mackey, will be in attendance as well as Bernard Leibov, founder and director of BoxoPROJECTS and co-founder of the Joshua Treenial.

David Mackenzie was born in Los Angeles and received both his BFA and MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, where he studied ceramics, sculpture and painting.

Although quite adept at each discipline, painting was his passion. His work in ceramics did come in quite handy throughout his career in painting, however, as his expertise in mixing glazes and knowledge of the various components led to interesting combinations in paint and other media. He did experiment with various painting styles throughout his career including watercolors, being one of the early adopters of the California "off the stretcher" style of painting in the early 70s, and in the later 80s veering toward a more strict and disciplined style, the constructed canvas, where his view of perspective and use of cord and other materials beneath the paints would create visual interest.

His work was included in the 1975 Whitney Biennial and has been shown in Italy, France, Germany, and Russia. He has received grants from the Pollack-Krasner Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

David has work in the Phillips Collection, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Art in Embassies program, the Oakland Museum, and the Rene di Rosa Foundation among others.

He was a member of American Abstract Artists, an organization to promote abstract art since 1936.

"My work is a mediation between fractured and deconstructed perspectives. It is my way of coming to terms with painting's inherent contradictions of representation and the concrete. I have deliberately and radically reduced the elements in my work in order to clearly understand the painting's nature. Shifting perceptions, reflected light, color/material and location are what interest me along with spacial tension. My approach is strictly intuitive when it comes to these matters."

David Mackenzie died June 11, 2020. During his last decade, he worked in Joshua Tree, California. He is survived by his wife, Martha Mackey.

David Mackenzie Bio
Davud Mackenzie Available Works

Opening during Palm Springs Modernism Week 2023, this collection of 16 finely executed oil paintings dating from 1951-1985 were recently discovered after decades of negligent storage in a desert-area garage; from exhibiting at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and Felix Landau Gallery in Los Angeles to obscurity, this exhibition is a must-see.

Alexander Meller was a Surrealist painter, most often compared to Roberto Matta, but similarities to Wilfredo Lam can be seen in his work as well. His unusual futuristic style with elements of Cubism, combine to create a World that is at times wondrous and disconcerting. Many of his paintings deal with themes of fertility and sensuality, but the selection we have chosen for this initial exhibition represent a less contentious theme.

Alexander Meller Bio
Alexander Meller Available Works

Premiering during Palm Springs Modernism Fall Preview, “Aura: Paintings by Robin Harker “ will show 12 paintings by this talented local artist. As Robin states “Growing up in Southern California’s mountain communities I was immersed in nature. I often look back at those early memories for inspiration in my work. I have found that the older the memory, the less dependent I am on the details. This enables me to focus on a feeling and capture the essence of an experience. Objects often become indiscernible shapes. A random burst of color in a painting can be a memory of an unexpected yellow wildflower or a patch of emerging blue sky. Although it’s a constant challenge to reduce, my goal is to create a meditative environment, a place to rest the mind.”

Robin Harker Bio
Robin Harker Available Works

Lee Porzio is well known to vintage art and design aficionados in the Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona areas. When she moved there in 1953 with her husband-to-be Allen Ditson, they changed the modern design vocabulary in this fast-growing Desert metropolis, from their home studio in Paradise Valley. To this day, their designs dot the landscape and grace the homes of many long-time residents.

Lee and Allen worked hand-in-hand on most projects and are, in many cases, listed as collaborators on their creations. Allen was a sculptor and furniture designer; Lee was known as a graphic artist that was able to execute her vision in various media including clay, oils, fabrics and fibers.

We are pleased to present several paintings that Lee created in the 50s’ and 60s’ along with select artifacts including ceramics, furniture, fabric and ephemera.

This is an ongoing and changing exhibition that will be available throughout the Summer 2021.

Lee Porzio Bio
Lee Porzio Available Works

We are delighted to present the inaugural showing of Los Angeles artist Andrew Mandolene.

After a successful career as an Art Director, Andrew only recently rediscovered an inner passion to create art through paint and canvas, beckoning back to his days in college at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Certainly his long career in design informs his work as an artist; his confident use of color and form is what caught our attention.

A style of Geometric Abstraction, Hard Edge Painting was popularized in California beginning in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, and this influence certainly can be seen in Andrew’s work, although he has carefully defined his own style and brings a modern interpretation to his art.

We invite you to be among the first to stop by and see the work of this exciting new artist. Premiering Modernism Week Fall Preview, October 15, 2020.

Andrew Mandolene Bio
Andrew Mandolene Available Works