Esoteric Survey

  Last week I visited the California Design auction preview at Los Angeles Modern's new space in Hollywood.  Sam Maloof is a staple and so is Stan Bitters, but who is that on the left? Yes, that is indeed a Lawrence Hunter clock. THE clock from California Design 76! Michael Cooper's Soapbox Derby Car , which is seen on the opposing page of California Design 76, is also in the sale. In 1975, the San Francisco Museum of Art held a fundraiser where they invited artists to build soapbox derby racing cars and trophies. This downhill racer was his entry.  It was later shown at the Pasadena Museum of Art's California Design 76, which was held at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles.  Here is a small portion of the other artists who participated in the derby. I wonder what the Ruth Asawa piece looked like?  The  LAMA essay  includes a must watch video on the derby.  In October of the same year, Cooper had an exhibition of 14 works, mostly with wheel...

I took a trip up Highway 99 and stopped in Fresno again.  This is a sore topic around here. Although I drive down Fulton Street every time I'm in Fresno,  I haven't posted about it since  2016 .  Over the years  I've done many posts about the mall. The first was in  2010 .  The Fulton Mall in 1967 For a recap, in the mid-1950s Downtown Fresno merchants and city officials were looking for ways to revitalize the central business district. They hired Victor Gruen to create a visionary plan. With the help of legendary landscape architect Garrett Eckbo, they  created a grand pedestrian orientated design that linked the six-block business district to the civic center.  The Fulton Mall opened in 1964 (Happy 60th Anniversary) and was a nationally-recognized success, both commercially and in terms of design. The art at the Fulton Mall included 20 sculptures by artists  found in major museum collections. This includes large sculptures by Claire Fa...

  Ceramic tile floor by Doyle Lane at the Lytton Savings Bank in Canoga Park (1966). The carpet is by Edward Fields.  Photo: Julius Shulman,  GRI Digital Collections The tables also have Lane ceramic tile inserts. Kurt Meyer, AIA (1922-2014) was the architect and did multiple Savings and Loan Association buildings for Lytton. It was featured in Arts & Architecture and won an honor award from the Precast Concrete Institute.  The interior of this branch was designed by  Adele Faulkner  F.A.I.D. She did multiple Lytton interiors and was the first woman in Southern California to be named a fellow in the American Society of Interior Designers. Photo: Julius Shulman,  GRI Digital Collections A Claire Falkenstein wall sculpture in the upstairs office of the branch.   The bank's founder, Bart Lytton (1912-69) was a major art collector and helped found LACMA .  The Lytton Gallery was one of the museum's first 3 buildings. In 1968 it was renamed th...