Gallery Packed for Weber’s First Show

The Scene: Wednesday night’s opening at the Fahey/Klein Gallery, where photographer Bruce Weber was presenting his first one-man show in Los Angeles. Weber rose to prominence in the ‘80s with his suitable-for-framing Calvin Klein underwear ads; he is also widely known for his celebrity portraits and for his photographs of what William Burroughs referred to in the official catalogue as “beautiful naked youth.” Many of the beautiful youth were present in corporeal form as well--wearing clothes. (The exhibit continues through June 22.)

The Buzz: People fixated on Weber’s celebrity portraits, which included Sam Shepard, Martin Scorsese, Joe Coleman and Siegfried and Roy, as well as his male figure studies.

Who Was There: Actors Andy Garcia, James Marshall, Jason Patric, Julie Hagerty and Billy Zane, as well as Marisa Berenson, Tim and Nancy Vreeland, designers Gregory Poe and Peggy Moffat, models galore and representatives from every local publication that concerns itself with fashion or style.

Dress Code: European suits and a strong dose of 1970s revival fashions--ill-fitting vests, shirts with puffy sleeves, bell-bottom slacks and the ever-popular wide-wale corduroy.

Fashion Statement: More than one man had wrapped a bandanna around his head, Weber style, in homage to the master.

Chow: None, but there was white wine in plastic cups--the official beverage of art gallery openings everywhere.

Money Matters: The catalogue for the show cost $55, and a Weber poster was going for $40. Most of the prints carried a price tag of about $2,500, unframed.

Overheard: The model types had to put up with verbal abuse from the less physically gifted. “Oh oh, model overload,” said one woman as the pretty-person quotient reached critical mass. Another man, looking at the crew cuts and muscles on the men in Weber’s photos, remarked: “There but for the grace of God go a bunch of gas station attendants.”

When Is a Gallery Like a Club? When the line to get in stretches way down the street. When cars slow down to see what’s going on. When the gallery finally resorts to flashing the lights on and off to get people to leave. (“Is it 10 to 2 already?” one guest wondered.)

Triumphs: Getting such a big crowd into such a small gallery, particularly with screenings of “Backdraft” and “Hudson Hawk” happening across town.

Glitches: Oxygen? Air conditioning? Who needs it?