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.

Frank Gehry
Architect

Ed Moses and Frank Gehry

Ed Moses and Frank Gehry in Greece, 1975. Image courtesy of Ed Moses and Frank Gehry

Frank Gehry (born 1929) is one of the most celebrated contemporary American architects, and he began his career in Los Angeles after graduating from the University of Southern California’s School of Architecture in 1954. He is known for his deconstructed style and experimental forms—such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles—that have undulating, highly reflective surfaces that appear to defy gravity. Gehry has also maintained close relationships with artists in Los Angeles, particularly those who were also experimenting with new materials in the 1960s, such as Peter Alexander, Larry Bell, Ronald Davis, and De Wain Valentine.

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Explore the Archive

  • Frank Gehry, Babs Altoon, Billy Al Bengston, Larry Bell, John Altoon, and Tony Berlant

    Frank Gehry, Babs Altoon, Billy Al Bengston, Larry Bell, John Altoon, and Tony Berlant at Culture Day at LACMA (L.A. County Museum of Art), 1968. Photo by and © Julian Wasser. Courtesy of Julian Wasser, Craig Krull Gallery, Santa Monica, and Museum Associates/LACMA

  • Los Angeles artists at Culture Day at LACMA, 1968

    Several Los Angeles artists at Culture Day at LACMA (L.A. County Museum of Art), 1968. Photo by and © Julian Wasser.