Just two days after screen legend Elizabeth Taylor died in Los Angeles, a 1963 portrait of the icon by artist Andy Warhol is being set up for the auction block, according to the AP. The silkscreen piece, "Liz #5," belongs (for now) to Steven Cohen, a hedge-fund manager. It was one in a series done in the 1960s by Warhol depicting pop culture icons, such as Marilyn Monroe and Jacqueline Kennedy. more ›

Andy Warhol famously said everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame, and two of his most iconic pop art pieces are now on display at The Huntington Art Gallery in San Marino. Gifts from the estate of Robert Shapazian, Warhol’s Small Crushed Campbell’s Soup Can (Beef Noodle) painting and Brillo Box from the ‘60s, as well as nine unlicensed Brillo Box copies, are located in the mid-20th-century room alongside works by Sam Francis and Louise Nevelson. more ›

Papers filed yesterday in court indicate that 73-year-old actor Dennis Hopper is too ill to sit for a deposition by his wife's divorce attorney, according to the LA Times' Ministry of Gossip blog. Suffering from prostate cancer and weighing only 100 pounds, Hopper filed for divorce from Victoria Duffy in January, and things have not been amicable. He has accused her of stealing $1.5 million worth of art from a collection that includes a portrait of him by Andy Warhol, and last month he was granted a restraining order against her. Hopper has been medically cleared, however, to appear Friday at his Walk of Fame induction ceremony. more ›

Although his paintings were allegedly stolen fro his westside home last month, Richard L. Weisman waived the $25 million he could have gotten under his insurance policy, reports the Los Angeles Times. more ›

A well known series of portraits by Andy Warhol was stolen sometime last week, the LAPD said today. Sometime between September 2nd and 3rd, the multi-million-dollar Athlete Series was stolen from the home of Richard L. Weisman, who commissioned Warhol for the series and lives on a street off Beverly Glen Boulevard in the hills. more ›

As the first stop on their world tour, 4 BMW Art Cars are now parked at the BP Grand Entrance of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The show opens today and runs only until February 24th, but Flickr photographer Rubenstein saw the exciting exhibit featuring four painted BMWs by Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg. Hopefully you can make it to LACMA to see it, but just in case--or as a sneak peek--here are the four colorful cars. more ›

My first month in Los Angeles, I worked a short stint at Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre, and one of the Mouse's lesser-known secrets is the large number of foreign exchange workers employed at the snack bar. I remember the Thai teens best; they were all sweet kids, and it's in their honor that I recommend the Thai Film Miracles Festival at the Arclight. Well, them and Tony Jaa, who steps behind the camera between bouts for the sequel to his muay-thai masterpiece Ong-Bak. For those with tastes running more regal, Princess Ubolratana makes her dramatic debut in Where The Miracle Happens, and the oldest surviving Thai film, The King Of The White Elephant, makes a rare theatrical appearance. And to seal the deal, each of these screenings are free with RSVP! more ›

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Jim Wirt is a St. Louis native living in LA, but most people know him as Gay Bigfoot. The 42-year-old North Hollywood resident moved out to Los Angeles in 1996 and is a local artist who recently found himself in the middle of some online censorship when he tried to get one of his pieces printed on a t-shirt. Here's his story... more ›

A brief overview of the new Takashi Murakami exhibit at the MOCA. more ›

It's easier to name bands that Rodney Bingenheimer didn't discover on his long-running KROQ show, but if you're familiar with the works of Blondie, the Ramones, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, and The Smiths, it's probably because Rodney first spun it on 106.7 soon to be followed by other stations across the country. more ›

There is so much cool stuff going down tonight, you’d better start chugging that Red Bull!! more ›

The attendees of Safari Sam's tonight will leave the Sunset Blvd club in the wee hours and they might have a few things to say about the evening, but "boring" wont be a word you will hear. With a lineup that begins with Renfield, followed by Quazar and the Bamboozled, and then The Fuxedos, the closing band Uncertain is going to have some strange and unusual acts to follow. One of our favorite magazines,... more ›

Are you old enough to be nostalgic for "Car Toons" comics? Or young enough to wonder what the deal is with Rat Fink? Tonight's art opening for original Big Daddy Roth artwork at La Luz De Jesus is a can't miss event for children of all ages. Big Daddy Roth's characters fathered a movement Howie Pyro refers to as lowbrow/pop surrealism. Roth mentored and inspired artists such as Robert Williams and Ed Newton, not to mention an entire generation of unnamed PeeChee folder doodlers. more ›

Yesterday LAist went to see Magritte at LACMA because we hadn't seen it yet and he tried new things and this is the last weekend that it will be here, so we didn't mind handing over $25 for a ticket and one of those walkman devices that tells you what you're looking at. Even though we try to be cultured we often fail, which is why we aren't usually at fancy art museums in... more ›

Bugsy Malone -- Wanna see a movie set during Prohibition where all the gangsters are played by kids and instead of hooch they're warring over custard? Did I mention the film is a musical AND that it stars Scott Baio and Jodie Foster? Directed by Alan Parker, Bugsy Malone is playing as part of a double feature alongside Robert Altman's Popeye. Tonight's the last night, so get your sweet little ass over to the New... more ›

He told us that it wasn't a pipe and sure enough it wasn't a pipe, it was a revolution. Yes it looked like a pipe. It looked like a very nice pipe, actually. We would have preferred a slightly longer stem, although the giant bowl is fascinating, if not ambitious, but no it's clearly not a pipe. You can smoke a pipe. And no one has smoked a Magritte. Nor do we recommend you... more ›

. 1. Kurt Cobain ($50M) 2. Elvis Presley ($42M) 3. Charles M. Schulz ($35M) 4. John Lennon ($24M) 5. Albert Einstein ($20M) 6. Andy Warhol ($19M) 7. Dr. Seuss ($10M) 8. Ray Charles ($10M) 9. Marilyn Monroe ($8M) 10. Johnny Cash ($8M) 11. J.R.R Tolkien ($7M) 12. George Harrison ($7M) 13. Bob Marley ($7M) Top Earning Dead Celebrities, Forbes, 2006 -- h/t stereogum... more ›

Some people get long weekends, so this one's for you, lucky ducks. more ›

http://www.artleak.org/civicmatters/">Civic Matters exhibit at LACE and the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art downtown. more ›

Mark Vallen has been making art in Los Angeles for more than 30 years. A native Angeleno, Mark has integrated the city's residents and landmarks into his work since his teens, when he worked on seminal LA punk publication Slash Magazine and captured the early punk scene in a series of sketches, drawings, and paintings. Mark continues the DIY spirit by supporting LA's contemporary art scene, advocating for change against the status quo and sharing his opinion about the current state of painting and culture on his blog, Art for Change. more ›