Weisman Awardees Forgo Formalities

Perhaps next year the presentation of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Awards won’t be black-tie.

Consider that three of the five artists who collected “Freddies” Thursday night at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art refused to wear tuxedos as a matter of principle (the other two did not come). Composer John Cage, the Lifetime Achievement in the Arts winner, was in jeans.

“Well, I don’t have a tuxedo and I don’t think that’s as important as being present,” offered winner Haim Steinbach, a sculptor and conceptual artist from New York, who was tieless and wearing a black suit.

The awards were established this year by the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation to honor achievement in contemporary art. Named for the foundation founder and art collector, the national project provides monetary prizes for five curators and four artists, and one each for lifetime achievement and exceptional service to the arts.

The event was populated by a mix of museum curators, dealers and numerous artists who consider formal socializing a form of punishment. “Free at last,” said award winner Kynaston McShine, curator of last year’s Andy Warhol retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, as he made his escape to the bar after the awards presentation.

“It’s weird enough being an artist and it’s definitely weird being in a situation like this,” allowed another winner, L.A. artist Joe Goode.

During cocktails on the Times Mirror Central Court, the award sponsor was in top form.

“Tonight’s the night,” said an upbeat Weisman as he mingled with his 300 guests. As Henry Hopkins, director of the Weisman Art Foundation, pointed out, everyone there had received “one of the rare invitations without that little card inside that says $300 a seat.”

Among those attending were architects Frank Gehry, Elyse Grinstein and Franklin Israel (who is building an annex to Weisman’s house in Holmby Hills).

Artists Ed Ruscha, Charles Arnoldi, DeWain Valentine, Tony Berlant, Terry Allen, Michael McMillen, Guy Dill and Laddie Dill; dealers Manny Silverman, Linda Cathcart, Doug Chrismas, Fred Hoffman, Jim Corcoran, Sidney Felsen, Stanley Grinstein and Kimberly Davis; as well as Getty Museum director John Walsh, L.A. County Museum director Earl Powell III, Caroline Ahmanson, Frances and Morton Bloom (parents of winner Barbara Bloom), collectors Peter and Eileen Norton and Julian and Joann Ganz.

After the ceremony, guests dined on rack of lamb, grilled chicken, asparagus and cappuccino torte, with the off-beat sounds of HuGoJoJo providing background music.

As art stars go, Dennis Barrie was the real crowd-pleaser. He picked up the Exceptional Service to the Field award as director of the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, where he exhibited the controversial Robert Mapplethorpe photography show.