Explore the Era

Delve into the postwar Los Angeles art world in this online archive, which provides additional material related to the exhibitions on view at the Getty Center. Learn about hipsters and happenings, and the venues across the city where all the action took place through images from the archives and first-hand accounts with the artists.

Robert Irwin Studio

Artist Robert Irwin moved his studio to Venice in the 1960s in order to have a more spacious working environment, as did numerous artists at the time, including Larry Bell and John Altoon. This studio was the setting for the “National Symposium on Habitability,” a day-long event in May 1970 organized by Irwin and Dr. Ed Wortz that included installations designed by Irwin, Bell, and architect Frank Gehry.

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Works of Art

  • Black on White

    Black on White, 2011, Robert Irwin. Granite. 60 x 36 x 392 in. This work was commissioned by the J. Paul Getty Trust in honor of James N. Wood. © Robert Irwin
    These images show a model of the installation, the quarry in India where the granite was sourced, and the piece after delivery to the fabricator.

Explore the Archive

  • Larry Bell and Robert Irwin studios

    View of Market Street in Venice, California, in 1970, showing the studio buildings of Larry Bell (right) and Robert Irwin (left). Photo by Larry Bell. Courtesy of and © Larry Bell

  • Robert Irwin, ca. 1967

    Robert Irwin, ca. 1967. Photo by Frank J. Thomas. Courtesy of the Frank J. Thomas Archives