This Week in LA: Feb. 12→18
In this Edition: From Dürer to Ruscha, Conner to Willenbecher — Works on Paper Across Los Angeles
This week’s exhibitions celebrate the enduring power of marks on paper—and a few notable milestones along the way. At the Hammer Museum, Five Centuries of Works on Paper marks the 70th anniversary of the UCLA Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, featuring nearly 100 works from Dürer to Ruscha. Babst Gallery presents John Willenbecher’s first Los Angeles solo exhibition since 1972, with geometric paintings and works on paper that have anchored his practice for over six decades. Over at Michael Kohn Gallery, a concentrated selection of Bruce Conner’s inkblot and felt-tip drawings illuminates a pivotal yet underrecognized aspect of the late artist’s multimedia practice.
Weinstein Gallery hosts Myke Wright’s debut solo exhibition, Assorted Flavors, where pop art palettes and comic book composition transform the female figure into superhero and vixen. At Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Jeans Generation brings together fifteen artists exploring daydreaming as resistance, inspired by the true story of young Georgians who hijacked a plane to flee the Soviet Union. And at Jack Rutberg Fine Arts in Pasadena, Irish “living national treasure” Patrick Graham presents large-scale paintings and layered works on paper where even a smudge can evoke an entire landscape.
Explore this week’s full lineup below and find your next gallery stop!
This week's edition of LA Insider is presented by Curatorial — your partners dedicated to preserving, preparing, and connecting fine art with people around the world. Learn more at curatorial.com
On View Now
Hammer Museum | Westwood
Five Centuries of Works on Paper: The Grunwald Center at 70
On view through May 17, 2026
From Albrecht Dürer to Ed Ruscha, nearly 100 works by over 90 artists mark the 70th anniversary of the UCLA Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts. Five Centuries of Works on Paper celebrates one of the nation’s foremost collections, featuring prints, drawings, and photographs dating from the Renaissance to the present—including works by Rembrandt, Picasso, Käthe Kollwitz, Charles White, Ruth Asawa, David Hockney, and Toba Khedoori.
Fowler Museum | Westwood
Fire Kinship: Southern California Native Ecology and Art
On view through April 12, 2026
Prior to colonization, Native communities throughout Southern California used controlled fire practices to ensure the vitality of local ecosystems. Fire Kinship counters attitudes of fear around fire, arguing for a return to Indigenous practices through baskets, ollas, and canoes made possible by the relationship between people, place, and fire—alongside commissioned works by contemporary artists including Gerald Clarke Jr., Weshoyot Alvitre, and Leah Mata Fragua.
CMAY Gallery | Mid-Wilshire
Cynthia Minet: Land / Air / Sea
On view through March 21, 2026
Six new cast aluminum sculptures explore the fragile interdependence between human activity and the natural world. Cynthia Minet’s Land / Air / Sea presents abstracted yet recognizable forms derived from close observation of fauna—human, bird, fish, and insect—originating as constructions assembled from discarded polystyrene packing materials, retaining animated surface textures embedded with recycling symbols and commercial logos.
Babst Gallery | Fairfax District
John Willenbecher: New Works
February 13 – April 18, 2026
John Willenbecher’s first Los Angeles solo exhibition since 1972 presents recent paintings and works on paper featuring interwoven geometric figures—the equilateral triangle, circle, square, and cone—shapes that have anchored his practice for over 60 years. Made of acrylic paint and metallic leaf on fiberboard, the works may be positioned in any direction, with the shelf on which they rest becoming part of the piece.
Michael Kohn Gallery | Hollywood
Bruce Conner: Inkblot and Felt-tip Drawings
Opens February 18, 2026
While Bruce Conner is widely celebrated for assemblage and experimental film, drawing remained a critical site of investigation throughout his career. This concentrated selection spans the early 1960s through the 2000s, featuring meticulous inkblots produced through folding and mirroring techniques—articulations of natural symmetry, insects, bird and fish shapes into what Conner described as a “linear freedom of movement.”
Weinstein Gallery | Hollywood
Myke Wright: Assorted Flavors
On view through February 14, 2026
Drawing inspiration from the magic of the female figure and form, Myke Wright’s debut solo exhibition presents paintings using a pop art palette and comic book composition. Unlike pop legends who often highlighted women in distress, Wright’s figures appear as superheroes, femme fatales, and vixens—Assorted Flavors marks a playful yet powerful introduction to an artist whose practice spans painting, design, music, and performance.
FOYER-LA | Silver Lake
No Respite: Group Exhibition featuring Lucy Puls, Nick Taggart, Connie Walsh, and Dakota Higgins
On view through March 20, 2026
FOYER-LA presents a group show in their new Silver Lake location, bringing together four artists whose works offer no easy answers—just sustained looking.
Abigail Ogilvy Gallery | Arts District
Jeans Generation: Group Exhibition
On view through February 18, 2026
Inspired by Dato Turashvili’s novel recounting the true story of young Georgians who hijacked a plane attempting to flee the Soviet Union, Jeans Generation brings together fifteen artists whose works investigate the psychology of daydreaming as a form of resistance and self-preservation—featuring Ophelia Arc, Miguel Caba, Genevieve Goffman, Mariam Kvashilava, and more.
de boer | East LA
James Gobel: Hellbent For
On view through February 14, 2026
Meticulously crafted works that expand the possibilities of queer material culture anchor James Gobel’s Hellbent For. The exhibition situates Gobel’s latest paintings within a broader conversation on domestic aesthetics, coded visibility, and the generative intimacy of queer communal experience.
Jack Rutberg Fine Arts | Pasadena
Patrick Graham: Notes from Ireland
On view through April 18, 2026
Credited with changing the face of Irish painting and recognized as a “living national treasure,” Patrick Graham presents large-scale paintings and poignant works on paper combining ink, graphite, paint, and torn collages. In Notes from Ireland, even a smudge or random mark can surprisingly evoke an expressive figure or entire landscape—subtly nuanced, layered images as varied as any of his monumental paintings.
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LA Insider is the weekly newsletter that connects you to LA's vibrant art and culture scene. From the Hollywood Hills to downtown, Malibu and beyond, we uncover a curated selection of standout exhibitions, cultural events, and creative experiences that define the City of Angels.
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