Robert Alexander
Artist
Robert Alexander, ca. 1960. The Getty Research Institute, Charles Brittin papers, 2005.M.11.20 © J. Paul Getty Trust. Photo by Charles Brittin
Robert Alexander (1923–1987) was the only child of Russian immigrant parents. His family settled in Southern California soon after he was born in 1923. He began writing poetry at a young age and eventually immersed himself in the Los Angeles jazz scene, where he first met Wallace Berman in 1945. A poet, collagist, printer and assemblage artist, Alexander helped Berman with the initial production of Semina journal and also opened his own printing shop, known as Press Baza. Alexander had his first solo exhibition of collaged poems at Edward Kienholz’s Now Gallery in 1955. He went on to found the Temple of Man, a center for poetry, jazz and art in Venice, California.
Works of Art
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Untitled (Art is Love is God), 1955, Robert Alexander. Wooden box, photograph, bullet, and paper. 3 7/16 x 6 7/16 x 3 5/16 in. The Getty Research Institute, Charles Brittin Papers, 2005.M.11.29. Courtesy of the Temple of Man, Inc.
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Business-card box for Charles Brittin, 1957, Robert Alexander. Collaged box with medicine cap affixed. 2 1/2 x 6 3/8 x 3 7/8 in. The Getty Research Institute, Charles Brittin Papers, 2005.M.11.27. Courtesy of the Temple of Man, Inc.
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Business-card box for Charles Brittin, ca. 1950s, Robert Alexander. Collaged box with key affixed. 2 1/4 x 4 5/16 x 3 15/16 in. The Getty Research Institute, Charles Brittin Papers, 2005.M.11.28. Courtesy of the Temple of Man, Inc.
Explore the Archive
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Video: Artist George Herms shares anecdotes about the California assemblage community
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Audio: Hear Robert Alexander discuss his artwork. Excerpt from an interview with Robert Alexander by Sandra Leonard Starr, 1986. The Getty Research Institute, Gift of Sandra Leonard Starr, 2011.M.22. Courtesy of the Temple of Man, Inc.
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Robert Alexander, ca. 1960. The Getty Research Institute, Charles Brittin papers, 2005.M.11.20 © J. Paul Getty Trust. Photo by Charles Brittin
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Robert Alexander, John Reed, Wallace Berman, Juanita Dixon, and Walter Hopps in the alley next to Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, ca. 1957. The Getty Research Institute, Charles Brittin papers, 2005.M.11.9. © J. Paul Getty Trust. Photo by Charles Brittin
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Brochure for a performance at Instant Theatre, "Part of the forest is remaining unseen and the seen no longer is seen," ca. 1957, designed by Robert Alexander. Letterpress. The Getty Research Institute, Charles Brittin papers, 2005.M.11.25. Courtesy of the Temple of Man, Inc.
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Exhibition announcement for Action2: Works by West Coast Painters, at the NOW Gallery inside the Turnabout Theatre in Los Angeles, September 5–25, 1956. Robert Alexander, designer. Letterpress on paper mounted on cardboard. The Getty Research Institute, Charles Brittin papers, 2005.M.11.15. Courtesy of the Temple of Man, Inc.
