Daniele Balice, who co-founded Paris' Gallerie Balice Hertling, and Jay Ezra Nayssan posed as set designers rather than curators when they organized “Synesthesia” at M + B Fine Art. Hadrien Jacquelet's heavy oil paintings, loose interpretations of Michael Jackson's distinctive features, hang behind a gorgeous vanity designed by Italian Gio Ponti, and a porcelain bird Picasso made in 1951 perches inside a funny, tilted bookshelf by the design team ROLU. The effect is strange, more seductive and more alienating than just seeing art on a wall. You get the sense that, were this set real, a curious, educated person would inhabit it, but with most items in the $2,000 to $30,000 price range, you're also struck by how costly curiosity and education can be. 612 N. Almont Drive, W. Hlywd.; through Aug. 18. (310) 550-0050, mbart.com.

Tuesdays-Saturdays. Starts: June 29. Continues through Aug. 31, 2012

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