'Art Crowd Clusters' At gGallery Makes Art Receptions Fun Again

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No offense to L.A.'s world-class art scene, which we really do love (yes, Jeffrey Deitch, even you), but it's not really that controversial to say that art openings or gallery parties aren't always the liveliest affairs. First of all, you've always got to be careful, lest you dump Two Buck Chuck all over a Chuck Close (and it's a well known fact that Chuck will sue you if you do that). And speaking of Charles Shaw, the booze selection is often something less than stellar. But really, the biggest problem is that most receptions happen in the early evening, when people are on their way to something else. But multiple Emmy-winning producer Gabor Csupo's gGallery is attempting to change all that with Art Crowd Clusters, a weekly gallery party that goes into the wee hours and makes the gallery your nighttime destination.

While the name Gabor Csupo might not roll off the tongue, you know him– the man is an animation legend, having co-founded the Klasky Csupo animation studio that created hit cartoons like "Rugrats," "Aaahh!!! Real Monsters," and "Duckman." He's also the producer of most of the early seasons of "The Simpsons," all of which just goes to say that when this man wants to start an art gallery mostly made up of his private collection, he absolutely has the resources to do it. But even beyond Csupo's impressive and diverse gallery, which contains everything from original Warhols to the debut works of brand new artists, the 1,900 square-foot space is making its name from a Friday night event series unique to the scene, a truly salon-style get together that encourages interaction, multimedia enjoyment, and exploration of the dynamic gallery space.

Art Crowd Clusters isn't intended to be your pregame to some other party the way so many gallery events are, nor is it a space to choke down a PBR while making your way to the bar. No, it's a fully realized experience, blending the diversity of Csupo's collection (which contains works from over 25 artists, exotic antiques, folk art, and specially designed lighting) with music from featured artists, as well as recurring performances from ethereal singer Ciscandra Nostalghia. Art Crowd Clusters is intended to be a Friday Night Destination, a fixture on the social scene. And based on what we saw in our initial visit, there's every reason to think it's poised to become a rousing success.