The Rachel Rosenthal Company warmly invites friends, admirers, collaborators, and colleagues to “A Rachel Rosenthal Art Sale and Farewell to Espace DbD.” The afternoon art sale and soirée will offer a fond farewell to Espace DbD, the longtime creative home and studio founded by Rachel Rosenthal in 1981. Taking place on Sunday, December 14 from 2:00 to 6:00pm at Espace Dbd (2847 S Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90034), the gathering will celebrate the legacy of the interdisciplinary artist—and World War II survivor— offering a rare opportunity to acquire her original artworks.
Proceeds from all sales will benefit Last Chance for Animals and ACLU—two organizations deeply aligned with Rosenthal’s lifelong commitments to animal rights, justice, and activism. This event is open to the public and light refreshments will be served. More information will be available soon at this link: https://www.instagram.com/espacedbd.
After retiring from the stage in 2000, Rosenthal created a vast and remarkably varied body of visual art. Drawing from mythology, biblical stories, global conflict, the Gulf War, 9/11, and her eternal muse, dogs, these works carry the same urgency, wit, rigor, and emotional depth that defined her performance practice. Eclectic and powerful, the collection reflects her singular imagination and the breadth of her concerns: the planet, its histories, its crises, and its beings.
The event will also be a celebration of Espace DbD itself—a space that has been an artistic haven, a laboratory for experimentation, and a creative home to countless artists over the decades. This afternoon event and art sale marks a proper farewell to the studio and a meaningful closing chapter for all who were shaped by its history.
About Rachel Rosenthal
Rachel Rosenthal (1926–2015) was a pioneering interdisciplinary artist, eco-feminist, animal rights advocate, and teacher whose work helped shape the development of contemporary performance art in Los Angeles. Born in Paris to a Russian-Jewish family, she fled Nazi-occupied France during World War II before settling in the United States—a formative experience that informed her later activism.
She studied with Hans Hofmann, Erwin Piscator, and Jean-Louis Barrault, and moved within a circle that included Merce Cunningham, John Cage, Jasper Johns, and Robert Rauschenberg. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1955, she founded the influential Instant Theatre and emerged as a key figure in the city’s feminist art movement through collaborations at CalArts, Womanspace, and the Woman’s Building.
Rosenthal created more than 40 original performance works and presented her pieces at major venues worldwide, earning honors that include a J. Paul Getty Fellowship, awards from the NEA and CAA, and recognition as a Cultural Treasure of Los Angeles. She established Espace DbD in 1981 and later founded The Rachel Rosenthal Company, which staged influential works such as Rachel’s Brain, Pangean Dreams, and Zone, exploring ecology, animal rights, and humanity’s relationship with the natural world, and which continues to advance her legacy through performances and workshops.
Location
Espace Dbd
2847 S Robertson Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA, 90034
Parking
Parking for Espace Dbd is available at 3000 S Robertson Parking Garage, located at 3020 S Robertson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034.
Photo Credit:
Portrait of Rachel Rosenthal. Photo Credit: Michael Childers.
