Despite the fact “cool” was originally a 1950’s adjective – explained by Urban Dictionary with the descriptors like: in or beyond the current style, in harmony with ineffable sophistication, graceful despite pressure, and my favorite, characterized by strange masteries and hidden resources – it has become a ubiquitous term associated with everything from art and fashion to obscure online math games and even ways to get kids to eat their veggies. Even my own definition of cool has swayed and shifted with my emerging consciousness.
But as I followed Price Latimer Agah’s Chuck Taylors from the pizzeria she co-owns, up to the downtown Los Angeles loft- originally a 1924 warehouse for the Santa Fe railroad – she shares with her pro-skater husband, Salman, and their two adorable pups, Biscuit and Gonzo, I knew instantly if cool had a home, it’d be here.
What I can only describe as eclectic perfection, the otherwise concrete space was enlivened by an assemblage of plush furniture by: Alvar Aalto, Philippe Starck, and Ortiz-Mexia, as well as an array of mix & match antiques and rare flea market scores. I was enchanted by rich ceramics from foreign lands, a pair custom made saloon doors and a sprout of happily potted plants growing beside a meticulously organized bookshelf filled with CD’s and vinyl, as a Perizo Labs steel skeleton chair sat nonchalantly in the corner. Heaping piles of books and magazines shared space with heirloom china & tableware, Mexican diablo masks, antique rugs from Azerbaijan and Botswana baskets, while original works of gorgeous art by Simmons & Burke, Wes Lang, Amanda Ross-Ho, Adam Harteau, Chloe Sells, Kevin Zucker, Dan Colen and a portrait of her grandmother -that her uncle shot with a shotgun- adorned the 14ft emerald green, blood red, Caribbean turquoise and white walls.
Photo Credit: David Crotty/Patrick McMullan
Needless to say, it’s not difficult to see how Price Latimer Agah – a 5thgeneration Texan- has channeled her unique brand of rockin roll, post-modern, Southern sweet cool into a thriving career as an independent curator and art consultant specializing in emerging, contemporary and post-war art for residences, collections and public spaces.
Though I must admit, judging by her closet filled with brightly colored edgy pieces, jewel toned shoes and with one of a kind vintage finds, including a 1980’s orange Chanel suit passed down from her grandmother and an embroidered coat her mother snagged from an Istanbul bazaar in the ‘70s (swoon) hanging casually beside her Sarah Aaronson designed Edith Palm wedding dress, she could just as easily be the love child of Keith Richards and Peggy Guggenheim.
Every facet of Price’s life points to strange masteries and hidden resources. With an explosive passion for unique expression – evidenced by everything she touches – coupled with a worldwide reputation in the art scene, Price is undeniably cool by all definitions of the word.
However, it’s her commitment as a member of The Board of Trustees for the Santa Monica Museum of Art, her involvement with groups like the Hammer Museum Fellows, as well as recent curatorial ventures with Apart Projects, that show her true wisdom: that ART is fundamental for our long term survival as a civilization and critical if we want to flourish.
Price Latimer Agah is fearlessly following her dreams, inspiring all who come into her orb as she curates an inimitable life of adventure, love, art and pizza! Now that’s WoW!
Name: Price Latimer Agah
Age: 34
Occupation: curator/art consultant/pizzeriateur
Hometown: Amarillo & San Antonio, TX
Current city of residence: Los Angeles, CA
Contact: price@pricelatimer.com
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Ordinary Magic: If you were at a cocktail party and were asked to explain what you do in three sentences or less, what would you say?
Price: I am an independent curator and art consultant. I also co-own an awesome, little neighborhood pizzeria in downtown LA called Pizzanista!
at Pizzanista!
Ordinary Magic: What inspired you to head in that direction?
Price: I have always, innately known that I would be involved with and surrounded by art. The restaurant thing fell into my lap serendipitously, but it made sense given that I love to cook and eat.
Ordinary Magic: What is your accomplishment that you are most proud of to date?
Price: Running my own businesses since the age of 25.
Ordinary Magic: What has the biggest turning point been in your life so far?
Price: Meeting and marrying my life partner, Salman Agah.
Ordinary Magic: What is your greatest passion?
Price: Travel. Art. Music. Animals.
Ordinary Magic:What words of wisdom would you give your twenty-year old self?
Price: Stop dating the assholes! And don’t take everything so seriously.
in Mozambique
Ordinary Magic: What was the last book you read?
Price: Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S. C. Gwynne
Ordinary Magic: What is your personal philosophy?
Price: Live and let live.
Ordinary Magic: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Price: Do the thing you fear most. Never say “I can’t.”
Ordinary Magic: If you could be anywhere in the world right now doing anything, what would it be?
Price: Traveling around the world, to all 196 countries.
Ordinary Magic:What do you have gratitude for in this moment?
Price: My incomparable husband, family and friends, my pets and my health.
Ordinary Magic: Do you have a Life Motto?
Price: “I’ll try anything once, twice if I like it, three times to make sure.” – Mae West
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