Magicians Garden&raquo;Pacific Standard Time at the Getty

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.

Magicians Garden

Magicians Garden, 1963, Billy and Joan Jahrmarkt. Verifax on cardstock and metal screw. Self-published book. 3 5/8 x 2 9/16 x 5/8 in. The Getty Research Institute, Gift of George Herms, 2009.M.20 © Billy and Joan Jahrmarkt

On View at the Getty Center: Greetings from L.A.: Artists and Publics 1950-1980

Billy Jahrmarkt, founder of Batman Gallery in San Francisco, developed friendships with George Herms and Wallace Berman in the early 1960s, living alongside them in both Larkspur and Los Angeles. During this period Jahrmarkt began experimenting with the Verifax process, an early form of photocopying. Magicians Garden, an artist book made in collaboration with his wife Joan, is an example of this work. In 1964, Jahrmarkt gave his Verifax machine to Berman, whose Verifax collages would become an integral part of his artistic practice.

Styles & Materials

Time Periods & Venues

1960s

Works of Art

Untitled (Verifax Collage), 1969, Wallace Berman. Verifax collage on board. 45 x 48 in. Collection of Michael D. Fox, Berkeley, CA, courtesy Steven Wolf Fine Arts, San Francisco, CA. Permission courtesy of the Estate of Wallace Berman and Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles. Photo by Joe Schopplein
Untitled (Faceless Faces with Kabala), 1963–70, Wallace Berman. Verifax collage with transfer lettering. 29 7/8 x 28 11/16 in. Collection of Nicole Klagsbrun. Permission courtesy of the Estate of Wallace Berman and Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles
Papa's Got a Brand New Bag, 1964, Wallace Berman. Mixed media collage. 44 1/2 x 32 ¼ x 2 in. Collection of David Yorkin & Alix Madigan, Los Angeles. Permission courtesy of the Estate of Wallace Berman and Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles
L.A. Odyssey, 1969, Diane di Prima (poet), cover design by George Herms. Poets Press, San Francisco, 1969. Offset lithograph. 8 5/8 x 5 9/16 x 1/16 in. Book © Diane di Prima. The Getty Research Institute, Gift of George Herms, 2009.M.20.27. Cover image © George Herms
Book 1, ca. 1960s, Russel Tamblyn. Letterpress and photocollage. Skyline Press, ca. 1960s 5 7/16 x 4 1/4 in. The Getty Research Institute, Gift of George Herms, 2009.M.20.8. © Russel Tamblyn

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Video: George Herms speaks about the work of Wallace Berman, March 2011
Wallace Berman in an abandoned building on the Speedway (an alleyway running parallel to the beach) in Venice, California, ca. 1955–57. The Getty Research Institute, Charles Brittin papers, 2005.M.11. © J. Paul Getty Trust. Photo by Charles Brittin
Dean Stockwell and Wallace Berman at Stone Brothers Printing, 1957. The Getty Research Institute, Charles Brittin papers, 2005.M.11.18. © J. Paul Getty Trust. Photo by Charles Brittin
Wallace Berman with a copy of Semina no. 1 in the Stone Brothers Printing display window, 1957. The Getty Research Institute, Charles Brittin papers, 2005.M.11.17. © J. Paul Getty Trust. Photo by Charles Brittin
Wallace Berman with his collage Papa's Got a Brand New Bag in 1965. Art © the Estate of Wallace Berman and Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles. Image courtesy of Marvin Silver and Craig Krull Gallery, Santa Monica. © Marvin Silver

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