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.

From the Archive

Double Standard, Dennis Hopper

Double Standard, 1961, Dennis Hopper. Gelatin silver print. 16 x 24 in. Courtesy of and © The Dennis Hopper Trust

This photograph was shot by Dennis Hopper in 1961 at the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard, Melrose Avenue, and North Doheny Drive. Taken through the windshield of a car, Hopper’s photograph highlights the Pop elements of the Los Angeles landscape, with its billboard advertisements, ubiquitous automobiles, and prominent signage. In 1964 Double Standard was used for the invitation to Ed Ruscha’s second solo exhibition at the Ferus Gallery.

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Explore the Archive

  • John Altoon, ca. 1963

    John Altoon smoking, ca. 1963. Image courtesy of Larry Bell. Photo by Dennis Hopper and © The Dennis Hopper Trust