Greetings from L.A.: Artists and Publics 1945-1980 October 1, 2011

FREE ADMISSION FOR BANK OF AMERICA CUSTOMERS ON 10/2!

Beginning in the 1950s, Southern California saw the emergence of newly diverse audiences for art. While gallerists cultivated collectors, Beat artists Wallace Berman and George Herms distributed handcrafted works among friends. Others, including Chris Burden, exploited the mass media to circulate their work. Art schools became innovative forums for artists such as Judy Chicago and John Baldessari. Social and political movements that championed peace and feminism mobilized artists to take their messages to the streets. Drawn from the Getty Research Institute's archives of Los Angeles art, this exhibition features photographs, ephemera, correspondence, and artwork—many on view for the first time—that reveal how these artists disseminated their works to a broader public.

Greetings from L.A.: Artists and Publics 1945-1980 is part of the groundbreaking cultural program, Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. from 1945 to 1980. Starting in October 2011, more than 60 cultural institutions across Southern California will come together to tell the story of the birth of the L.A. art scene and how it became a major force in the art world.

The campaign features unexpected pairings between pop culture icons of today with artists featured within Pacific Standard Time. “Celebrate the Era that Continues to Inspire the World” is the theme of the campaign, which celebrates how Los Angeles art from 1945 – 1980 continues to inspire the world of music, art, film and architecture of today.

Check out a video of Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pop Art movement artist Edward Ruscha: http://bit.ly/PSTvideos

For more information on Pacific Standard Time, visit http://bit.ly/PSTLA