The LA that Influenced My Eye

T

HIS EXHIBITION IS A PERSONAL VIEW OF A FEW ARTISTS WHO WERE IMPORTANT IN EDUCATING MY EARLY EYE. Assembling it took me through backrooms and long-standing connections, reopening doors and awakening memories. I viewed this as an opportunity to investigate my deep passion. I did not attempt to survey a school or to include young artists that are making Los Angeles a hotbed of new thought today.

As an architectural student at USC in the 1950ʼs, I found my first abstract paintings in the student sales at the University. Early on I viewed a film on Alexander Calderʼs construction of mobiles that forever fueled my desire to live with art. The legendary dealer Felix Landau made a Calder available at $50 per month. My passion was kindled.

My teachers were the artists, gallery owners, museum directors, curators and scholars. The rest is history. The painters and object-makers represented in this exhibit built upon historic investigation of the language of art, bringing forward new views and attitudes that, in my mind, became building blocks for those to follow.

I recall a day with Ed Kienholz at his home in the Hollywood Hills in the early 1960ʼs listening to his portrayal of Kate Smith singing God Bless America from a recording deep within a trash can that he had assembled. My architectural office was located on

Santa Monica Boulevard, a block from La Cienega across from Barneyʼs Beanery where Kienholzʼs No Fags Allowed piece hung over the bar for years. It did not bear the political correctness of today, nor speak of fairness, but with a satiric prod, challenged oppression. A great event of this period occurred on Monday night when La Cienega galleries spilled into the street, exploding convention.

An important question asked of the artists and observers of abstraction “Is there important content in non-literal art?” I answer that with the simple observation of Magritteʻs Ceci n’est pas une pipe (This is not a pipe), for a line may become more than a line; it may become a path of visual travel. A surface of paint may enrich the many interpretations of more than the obvious. Unconventional elements become part of the creative process, often with hidden depth for those seeking more. Art may create a dialogue with its content. The story develops beyond the obvious through multiple visits.

Abstract connections become evident as you analyze and further the adventure. Line and form collide in compositions creating tension and compression that become juxtapositions, allowing the viewer to derive varied conclusions, for artists are story-tellers. Throughout the 70ʼs and 80ʼs, many of these artists continued reassembling the elements of art. This exhibit represents a fragment of their passionate work.

- Barry Berkus, Curator

Sam Francis (1923-1994) Mount of Venus, 1988-1989 Acrylic on prepared paper 51 x 79 5/8 inches

Edward Kienholz (1927-1994) One & One Half Tits, 1960 Oil and mixed media assemblage 15 1/2 x 18 x 6 1/4 inches

Kenneth Price (b. 1935) Kiki, n.d.

Acrylic on ceramic 15 3/4 x 12 1/4 x 12 1/2 inches

Ed Moses (b. 1926) Edge No. 17, 1994 Acrylic on canvas 78 x 66 inches

John McLaughlin (1898-1976) Untitled, n.d.

Oil on paper 22 x 30 inches

Ed Ruscha (b. 1937) Hold on For a Minute, I’m No Martian, 1980 Carrot juice and damar varnish on paper 23 x 29 inches

Peter Shelton (b. 1951) Pink Loaf, 1999-2000 Mixed Media 28 x 49 x 23 inches

John McCracken (b. 1934) Untitled (Blue Cube), 1969 Lacquer on wood 7 x 7 1/2 x 6 inches

Kenneth Price (b. 1935) Unreported Sighting, 1981 Mixed media on paper 13 x 18 inches

Kenneth Price (b. 1935) Frog Cup, 1967 Colored pencil on paper 13 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches

Sam Francis (1923-1994) Untitled, 1960 Gouache on paper 22 3/4 x 30 5/8 inches

Lorser Feitelson (1898 - 1978) Magical Space Forms, 1952 Oil on canvas 45 x 74 inches

Lorser Feitelson (1898 - 1978) Untitled (Boulder Series), 1962 Acrylic on canvas 9 13/16 x 9 5/8 inches

Lorser Feitelson (1898 - 1978) Untitled (Boulder Series), 1962 Acrylic on canvas 10 x 10 inches

ON EXHIBIT: JULY 22 - SEPTEMBER 22, 2004 SUNDAY JULY 25, 2004 FROM 5 -7 PM 7 EAST ANAPAMU STREET We are staying open late to welcome artists, collectors, and interested members of the community to come explore our new exhibits. The night will feature substantial works of American art, refreshments, a chance for good conversation, and a no host bar. Please join us.

FEATURED ARTISTS: John Altoon • Larry Bell • Billy Al Bengston • Karl Benjamin • Tony Berlant • Richard Diebenkorn • Lorser Feitelson • Sam Francis • Joe Goode • Robert Graham • Frederick Hammersly • David Hockney • Edward Kienholz • Helen Lundeberg • John McCracken • John McLaughlin • Ed Moses • Kenneth Price • Ed Ruscha • Robert Therrien • James Turrell • Emerson Woelffer

AN ADDITIONAL NOTE OF THANKS: I would like to thank James Corcoran, Peter Gould, Kimberly Davis and Miles McEnery for their assistance, as well as Frank Goss for his confidence and the opportunity to curate this exhibit. I also want to thank the late Nick Wilder for backroom investigation, stories, and memories, the Knoedler Gallery, Leo Castelli and André Emmerich. My warmest acknowledgement goes to my partner in this early journey, my late wife Gail.

- Barry Berkus

Sullivan Goss - An American Gallery 7 East Anapamu Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 730-1460

TO LEARN MORE, PLEASE VISIT US ON THE WEB www.sullivangoss.com/exhibits/berkus_exhibit.asp

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