From the Archive
Poster for The Studs group exhibition at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, 1964. Image courtesy of Hal Glicksman
The Beat atmosphere that had characterized Ferus Gallery during its early years waned noticeably as the 1950s came to an end. Poetry readings gave way to glamorous opening parties. The Ferus group self-consciously characterized themselves as masculine and hard-working—a stance that would reach its apotheosis in 1964, when Ed Moses, Ken Price, Billy Al Bengston, and Robert Irwin took part in a group show brazenly called The Studs. The exhibition poster, which incorporated an illustration of a pioneer unloading lumber from a horse-drawn cart, aligned the artists with the resourceful and laboring frontiersman. Despite their divergence from the Bay Area school of abstract expressionism, this core group of painters remained true believers in abstraction.
Works of Art
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Sonny, 1961, Billy Al Bengston. Oil on Masonite. 36 x 36 in. Billy Al Bengston Studio Holdings. © Billy Al Bengston. Photo by Brian Forrest
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Hegemann Wedge, 1971, Ed Moses. Powdered pigment, acrylic, and resin on canvas. 96 x 82 in. Collection of Phyllis & John Kleinberg. Image courtesy of and © Ed Moses
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Green and Cream, 1966, Ken Price. Glazed ceramic. 4 x 8 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. Private collection. Permission courtesy Ken Price Studio. Photo by Zoe Zimmerman
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Dalton's Waffle #1, 1960, Ed Moses. Crushed newspaper, shellac, and wood. 39 1/2 x 34 3/4 in. Collection of Jim Newman & Jane Ivory. Image courtesy of and © Ed Moses
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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. -
Big Jim McLain, 1967, Billy Al Bengston. Polyurethane and laquer on aluminum. 60 x 58 in. Collection of Joan and Jack Quinn. © Billy Al Bengston
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BG Red, 1963, Ken Price. Fired clay with acrylic and lacquer on wooden base. 10 in. high. Collection of Mr. & Mrs. Gifford Phillips. Permission courtesy Ken Price Studio. Photo by Taylor Sherill
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Avocado Mountain, 1959, Ken Price. Glazed ceramics (2 parts). 24 x 21 x 21 in. James Corcoran Gallery, Los Angeles. Permission courtesy Ken Price Studio
Explore the Archive
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Video: Making the Scene—find out about the L.A. gallery scene during the postwar years
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Video: Billy Al Bengston speaks about his work, March 2010
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Poster for Richard Pettibone exhibition Wanted: $2000 Reward at Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, 1966. Courtesy of the artist. Offset lithograph mounted on board. The Getty Research Institute, Gift of Irving Blum, 2009.M.37.2
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Poster for Craig Kauffman exhibition at Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, 1962. © The Estate of Craig Kauffman. The Getty Research Institute, Gift of Michael Asher, 2009.M.30.16. Courtesy Frank Lloyd Gallery, Santa Monica, California
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Billy Al Bengston on a his BSA Victor motorcycle in the Ballona Wetlands, Marina del Rey, California, 1966. Image courtesy of and © Billy Al Bengston
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A resin painting by Ed Moses in an exhibition at Billy Al Bengston’s Artist Studio, 1970. © Ed Moses. Photo by Billy Al Bengston. Image courtesy of and © Billy Al Bengston Art
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Billy Al Bengston polishing an artwork, 1963. © Billy Al Bengston. Image courtesy of Marvin Silver and Craig Krull Gallery, Santa Monica. © Marvin Silver
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Installation view of Ken Price's sculptures in the exhibition New American Sculpture at the Pasadena Art Museum, February 11–March 7, 1964. Photo by Frank J. Thomas. Courtesy of the Frank J. Thomas Archives
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Larry Bell, Billy Al Bengston, and Ken Price outside Hotel Caesars in Tijuana, Mexico, 1968. Image courtesy of Larry Bell
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Robert Irwin, ca. 1967. Photo by Frank J. Thomas. Courtesy of the Frank J. Thomas Archives
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Ken Price firing works for his Curio Store at the home of Dennis Hopper in Taos, New Mexico, 1973. Photo by Happy Price. Image courtesy of the Ken Price Studio
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Ken Price at a party in Los Angeles in 1965. Image courtesy of Ken Price Studio
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Ken Price with student work at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 1956. Image courtesy of the Ken Price Studio
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Billy Al Bengston’s studio on Mildred Street in Venice, California, 1970. Image courtesy of and © Billy Al Bengston
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Protest on La Cienega Boulevard, outside the Ferus Gallery, May 15, 1965. The Getty Research Institute, Charles Brittin papers, 2005.M.11. © J. Paul Getty Trust. Photo by Charles Brittin
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Irving Blum with Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, 1962. Photo by William Claxton. Courtesy Demont Photo Management, LLC.
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Artists outside the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, 1959. Clockwise from top: Billy Al Bengston, Irving Blum, Ed Moses, and John Altoon. Photo by William Claxton. Courtesy Demont Photo Management, LLC.
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Ed Moses working on a resin painting on the floor of his studio in the early 1970s. Image courtesy of Ed Moses
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Ed Moses painting on the floor of his studio, ca. 1955. Image courtesy of Ed Moses
