Ocean Park Series
Ocean Park Series, 1962, John Altoon. Oil on canvas. 72 x 84 in. Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA: Museum purchase with additional funds provided by Dr. James B. Pick and Dr. Rosalyn M. Laudati, Mr. Ward Chamberlin, Mrs. E.G. Chamberlin, Patricia Fredericks, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Neisser, Mr. and Mrs. John Martin Shea, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Goldstein, Zada Taylor, Mr. David H. Steinmetz, and Mrs. Bernard McDonald. Permission courtesy of the Estate of John Altoon and Braunstein/Quay Gallery, San Francisco, CA. Photo by Gene Ogami
On View at the Getty Center: Pacific Standard Time: Crosscurrents in L.A. Painting and Sculpture, 1950-1970
John Altoon moved to the Ocean Park neighborhood of Santa Monica in 1962, occupying a new studio on Marine Street. In under a year, he completed the 18 works that constitute the Ocean Park series and that were shown at the Ferus Gallery. The areas of blank canvas indicate a move away from the all-over gestural markings of abstract expressionism, while the colorful shapes in this painting evoke Altoon’s immediate surroundings, suggesting the presence of a lifeguard chair, a fish, and the California sun.
Exhibition audio: Learn more about John Altoon’s work.
Exhibition audio: Billy Al Bengston talks about Altoon’s studio.
Explore the Archive
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Video: Irving Blum and Billy Al Bengston speak about the work of John Altoon, 2010-11
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John Altoon in his studio, ca. 1968. Image courtesy of and © Joe Goode
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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
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John Altoon smoking, ca. 1963. Image courtesy of Larry Bell. Photo by Dennis Hopper and © The Dennis Hopper Trust
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Several Los Angeles artists at Culture Day at LACMA (L.A. County Museum of Art), 1968. Photo by and © Julian Wasser.
