Hockney Helps a Friend

THE SCENE

Well-known photographer Ray Charles White had the help of an even better-known friend for his show of recent work opening Tuesday at Santa Monica’s B-1 Gallery. The exhibition, which features candid photographs and portraits of noted art world figures such as William Burroughs, Leo Castelli, Henry Geldzahler, Dennis Hopper and Roy Lichtenstein, was installed by one of White’s long-time subjects for his portraits--artist David Hockney. The show will be on view through Feb. 10.

DEBUTS

Rimantas Dichavicius and Antanas Sutkus, two Lithuanian photographers considered masters in their own country, have the first major institutional showing of their work in the United States at Loyola Marymount’s Laband Art Gallery, opening Wednesday. The show, called “Through Love to the Truth; Through Freedom to Creativity,” features 60 works and runs through Feb. 23.

The first West Coast solo show for New York-based Italian painter Roberto Mitrotti runs through Feb. 9 at La Cienega Boulevard’s Ayzenberg Gallery. Mitrotti, who was previously a fashion consultant (credits include “Miami Vice”), has been painting full-time for two years, and has had one-man shows in New York, Zurich, Florence and Philadelphia. Mitrotti’s show, “Crawling to Moscow,” is inspired by his recent trip to the Soviet capital, where he was featured in a group show at the Art Moderne Gallery.

Photographer Zoe Leonard has her first one-person show in the United States at Santa Monica’s Luhring Augustine Hetzler through Feb. 16. Leonard, 29, is based in New York, and her black-and-white images feature subjects ranging from fashion models to antique wax anatomical models.

HAPPENING

Francoise Gilot, the French-born artist and writer who was a long-time companion of Pablo Picasso, will discuss her new book, “Matisse and Picasso: A Friendship in Art,” at 7 p.m. Tuesday at La Jolla’s San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art. Information: (619) 454-3541.

“Future Tense: Arts Education Technology,” the Getty Center for Education in the Arts’ third national invitational conference, will be held Thursday through Sunday at the Los Angeles Hilton and Towers hotel. The conference will explore the application of new and emerging technologies to arts education, and is expected to draw more than 800 participants from across the country. Information: (213) 274-8787.