There’s another European gallery opening in LA. Sprüth Magers will open a modest 14,000 sq ft location across the street from LACMA.

Sprüth and Magers considered New York for their U.S. debut, but L.A. seemed more appropriate, they said. The gallery represents notable West Coast artists, among them Ed Ruscha, Stephen Prina, Sterling Ruby, Ryan Trecartin, Lizzy Fitch, Analia Saban and Kenneth Anger. Baldessari, 84, who’s been associated with the gallery for nearly 30 years, was key to the decision. Baldessari shows at Marian Goodman Gallery in New York but hasn’t had a local gallery exhibition since Margo Leavin Gallery closed to the public in 2012. Baldessari wanted an L.A. outpost to show new work; Sprüth and Magers responded.

The collaborative nature of the L.A. art scene also was a factor. The city has a flourishing museum scene, and Sprüth Magers has a growing collector base here. L.A. felt similar to Berlin, the gallerists say.

“In Berlin it’s hard; you have to work 50 times as much as in London,” Magers says. “But it’s a great city in terms of the artists, the discourse, the community. And you have all the great art schools and teachers. Somehow, L.A. felt like that, like Berlin.”

German art-world feminists stake their claim in L.A. with new Spruth Magers gallery (LA Times)