ART & DESIGN

Combo Meal

Blair Thurman and three hot artists share a table.


Blair Thurmana's neon light piece on the back of one seat

Artist Blair Thurman’s first solo show at Gagosian closes this Friday, but his admirers need only hoof it a few blocks to Half Gallery for Rascal House, a collaborative group exhibition Thurman organized. On view until February 4th, the show is the artist’s tribute to the storied California hangout Barney’s Beanery. Once the stomping grounds of Ferus Gallery artists like Ed Ruscha and Dennis Hopper, the eatery has already made cameos in the work of Ruscha and Edward and Nancy Kienholz. After a pilgrimage there last summer, Thurman decided keep the tradition alive by inviting artist friends John Armleder, Justin Adian, and Stéphane Kropf to help create a piece inspired by the Kienholzs’s life-size replica of the diner. The result is a standalone diner booth bearing the work of all four artists: Kropf’s frosting swirl-like paintings on one seatback, Thurman’s neon lights on the other; a table that Armleder encrusted with glitter; and seats padded with Adian’s signature painted cushions. It’s everything you could want all in one place—not unlike a diner menu.

Photos: Combo Meal

Blair Thurman’s neon light piece on the back of one seat. Courtesy of the gallery.

Justin Adian’s painted cushions and John Armleder’s glitter table. Courtesy of the gallery.

Detail of John Armleder’s glitter-encrusted table. Courtesy of the gallery.

Stéphane Kropf’s swirl-like paintings on one seatback. Courtesy of the gallery.

1/4