Arriving at the 2016 edition of Gagosian‘s pre-Oscar show felt like arriving at LA’s hottest nightclub with an eclectic line that stretched down the block and around the corner complete with hungry paparazzi waiting at the entrance. Inside the gallery was an undeniable energy not unlike a dysfunctional family reunion of the who’s who in Hollywood and Art, including botched surgeries, huge egos, smiley air kisses and all. The place was packed. 

Those who came for the art were met with massive walls of collaborative laser-printed paintings by Alex Israel and Bret Easton Ellis, artists who have made a pretty penny using Los Angeles and celebrity culture both as a subject and background in their work. Even the paintings were fabricated at Warner Brothers by the production crews formerly responsible for hand-painting Hollywood film backdrops. And oh what a backdrop they were that night: Instagram photos, endless selfies, and the cringe-worthy “only in Los Angeles” public glam shots in front of phrases such as “I’M GOING TO BE A DIFFERENT KIND OF STAR.”

As the night went on the crowd got dense, loud and littered with A- through D-listers. Israel himself looked painfully bored; Ellis seemed humble and happy to be there; Elton John came and went like the legend he is; Jeffrey Deitch, Eli Broad and Richard Prince made their rounds; Adrien Brody melted hearts with his pony tail and Ryan Seacrest attempted artspeak in the back room. The evening was an undeniably clever commingling of art as entertainment and entertainment as art, exhibiting an output as shallow and plastic as most of its audience. The irony of such was almost too much to handle and definitely too humorous to ignore. 

See the show for yourself sans crowds and celebs.

Alex Israel/Bret Easton Ellis will be on view at Gagosian in Beverly Hills until April 23rd.