Krawczk sculpture photographed before the fire.
All that was left of the Bruce Gallery on Via de la Paz after the fire were three sculptures by Jon Krawczyk.
Bruce Lurie Gallery, which was the only fine arts gallery in the Palisades, burned during the January Palisades Fire.
This coming Saturday, March 29 from 6 to 9 p.m., owner Lurie is pleased to present Renascence, the inaugural exhibition and grand opening party for the gallery’s new location in Santa Monica. Lurie said he wanted to thank friends and art lovers who helped him find a new space and who donated food and wine for the opening exhibition. click here.
“I have always believed that art is a reflection of resilience,” Lurie said. “The outpouring of support we received from friends and neighbors, many of whom also lost everything, is a testimony to that resilience.”
Renascence features pieces from 21 artists working across mediums including street art, photography and sculpture. Highlights include works by renowned artists such as Jon Krawczyk, Mark Acetelli, Jack Winthrop, Guerin Swing, and Terry Urban, all of whom will attend the opening reception.
Everything burned in Lurie’s Gallery on Via de la Paz during the January 7 fire, except for three stainless steel sculptures by local artist Jon Krawczyk. The pieces suffered some surface damage but are largely intact. Krawczyk will be at Saturday’s reception, and is no stranger to the tragedies of fire, having lost his home and studio in Malibu during the 2018 Woolsey fires.
After the fire, Palisades Village owner Rick Caruso said he’d like one of the surviving Krawczyk’s sculptures for his property.
Lurie is from Brooklyn, New York. After spending time in Europe, he returned and immersed himself in Manhattan’s vibrant 1980s art scene. He launched his first gallery in the East Village before pioneering Chelsea’s art district in 1987. After 9/11, Bruce relocated to Los Angeles. The gallerist specializes in mid-career artists working in pop art, street art, abstract minimalism, photography, and monumental sculpture.
Special thanks for the grand opening go to a fellow Palisades resident who offered the gallery the new space; Vito Restaurant in Santa Monica which generously donated drinks and appetizers, and L.A.-based HOP WTR and JUSTIN Wines which gifted wine and beverages for the opening reception.
“Living and working in the Pacific Palisades for the past 14 years has been an honor,” Lurie said. “This community is a rare gem, and it’s a privilege to begin this new chapter in Santa Monica and present Renascence, which speaks to the rebirth of the gallery, but also the Palisades.”