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Artemisia Gentileschi—& Weed?

LACMA has incorporated an impressive Artemisia Gentileschi, Death of Cleopatra (c. 1630), into its "To Rome and Back" show in the Resnick Pavilion. The pioneering woman artist did several interpretations of the Cleopatra theme. This is the one that was shown at the Portland Art Museum in 2016. A loophole allows collectors to avoid sales tax on expensive artworks by showing them first in tax-friendly Oregon.

The LACMA label credits the painting to "West Coast Masters." That didn't ring a bell. The museum's Unframed blog says it's from a Los Angeles private collection.

I googled "West Coast Masters" and learned it's the name of a secret society of expert marijuana growers in California, Oregon and Washington. So either there's another West Coast Masters… or the weed business is so flush it's parking cash in Baroque feminist art?
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Anonymous said…
What a gorgeous painting!! I know the Getty bought Orazio Gentileschi's "Danaë" a few years ago. Imagine if the Getty or LACMA were to have this painting as well. Hopefully, West Coast Masters consider donating the painting or selling it to a LA institution. Maybe someone can pay them in weed lol
December 20, 2018 at 9:56 AM
Anonymous said…
When the painting was displayed at the Portland Art Museum, the label indicated it was on loan from Loren Schlachet, a museum trustee. He is a managing partner of the Riverside Company and lives in LA. He has also loaned the museum paintings by Van Gogh and Claude Lorrain.
February 22, 2019 at 6:42 PM
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