Artist Gary Baseman has opened his first hometown solo show in over a decade, titled “Off the Menu,” inside the long-shuttered Johnie’s Coffee Shop on Wilshire and Fairfax in Los Angeles. The exhibition features about 40 colored pencil drawings, mostly executed on real menus from iconic L.A. restaurants such as Musso & Frank, Canter’s Deli, and Genghis Cohen, as well as newer spots like Jon & Vinny’s. The whimsical show, which launched in conjunction with the opening of the Wilshire and Fairfax subway station, runs through June 14 and celebrates the dining culture and community of the Fairfax neighborhood.
The show matters because it marks a significant return for Baseman, a lifelong Angeleno whose work blends fine art, illustration, and toymaking, and who has designed characters for the board game Cranium and collaborated with brands like Mattel and Coach. By transforming a historic, long-closed diner into a gallery space and using real restaurant menus as his canvas, Baseman creates a deeply personal and site-specific tribute to L.A.’s culinary and cultural landscape. The exhibition also underscores the growing trend of artists activating unconventional spaces and engaging with local history, while highlighting the role of public transit infrastructure in revitalizing neighborhoods.