To raise a bunch of money and donate a slice toward world peace, Alexandra Nechita and her promoters staged a schmancy auction at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Sunday. I went because I HAD to see where the child prodigy had gone since the craze in the 1990s, when a 12-year-old Nechita was fetching $200,000 for some of her larger paintings.

Now apparently a full time art student at UCLA, I had some high hopes for Nechita but worried she had been crushed and corralled under the pressure and seduction of money, international celebrity, and her Dad. But, I also hoped beyond all hope that she was a young, female Howard Roark in disguise, indefatigably plugging away at her own vision.

Alas, she was not...or perhaps she was and I just couldn't see it. Even her collectors and promoters were still talking about her Picasso-style work, as if that's a good thing. And, yes it's pretty much the same. But then again, I suppose Monet painted over 200 water lily paintings so perhaps she's just getting it out of her system. And they are interesting to look at, sometimes. A little new exploration, however, would be nice.



Nonetheless, two pieces from the auction did stand out. The first, a quiet Picassoesque Bronze that was so inventive and well executed that you couldn't help but be captivated by the creativity and craftsmanship. Soft undulating forms created a feeling that was demure and not a little bit sad. A great piece, really. I can't remember the title and it wasn't listed in the catalog but you can watch her making it at http://www.nechita.info/

The other, perhaps the most interesting if not the most attractive of the show, was a dark abstract expressionist work called "Constellation XXXXXIV." Given the number, I suspect that there are others like it somewhere, a lot of them. Thick blues and subtle purples swirl amongst a glittery white background. Here she's achieved a nice play of light and a texture and movement of paint that commands a contemplative pause. Ultimately, this work was simply refreshing, and it felt like a tentative step toward "finding herself" as an adult artist.

With all that said, I cannot deny that Nechita is both enormously talented and creative, with amazing craftsmanship to boot. I suspect, however, that she needs to break it all down, go down the dark path of "screw you art" with lots of screaming, cussing, and rolling in piles of salt and shit until she can finally say "up yours dad, collectors, galleries, and money mongering freaks. I don't care if you like or you can sell it. I KNOW WHO I AM!!! I'd rather eat cat food than compromise for one more second.

But, still, regardless of my opinion or others, her artwork was estimated for the Sunday showcase at $30, 000 to $240,000. Apparently no cat food dinners in the near future.

-bryson strauss

P.S. The images here are not the actual pieces from the show. They are type samples.