Pacific Standard Time (Introduction)

Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980 -- the collaboration of more than sixty cultural institutions across Southern California, coming together for six months beginning in October 2011 to tell the story of the birth of the Los Angeles art scene and how it became a major new force in the art world.

Initiated through $10 million in grants from the Getty Foundation, the project was prompted ten years ago, aimed at identifying and preserving the documentary records of LA art history that was in danger of being forgotten or has never been fully explored. The project eventually encompasses all Southern California, expanding as far as San Diego in the south, Santa Barbara in the north and Palm Springs in the east.

Exploring and celebrating the significance of the crucial years after World War II through the tumultuous period of the 1960s and 70s, Pacific Standard Time encompasses developments from L.A. Pop to post-minimalism; from modernist architecture and design to multi-media installations; from the films of the African-American L.A. Rebellion to the feminist activities of the Woman’s Building; from ceramics to Chicano performance art; and from Japanese-American design to the pioneering work of artists’ collectives.

Has there been any large scale art festival like this ever before anywhere in America, or probably anywhere in the world? There is no doubt about its epic scale that hasn't been attempted before even in New York, which has been long since regarded as the center of modern art inheriting the mantle from Paris.

When speaking of the characteristics of LA art, it seems to me that something is a little bit off and loose. Many artworks from local artists, regardless whether big names or unknowns, have immense humor in them. People may come to think of LA art as a comedy or joke. Well, what's the main reason for this lack of seriousness? 

Quick answer: Intense California sun.

It is a very sunny place with a much drier, warmer climate throughout the year. If you spend a month or two in LA, just wearing a T-shirt and shorts in the strong sunshine under the blue sky that goes on forever, it definitely makes you feel foolish to think about something so seriously in any way.

LA artists are good at creating artworks with an ironic sense of humor rather than seeing themselves as "angry artists," expressing the political and social anger directly through their art. Unlike New York, LA people don't need to worry about long cold winters, therefore LA art embraces stylistic diversity and openness with bright, vibrant colors.

Compared to the NY art scene which has developed while taking in modern art movements from Europe, such as Impressionism and Cubism since prewar periods, the history of LA modern art is relatively short, and is considered less serious or unimportant. As part of the PST campaign, renowned LA conceptual artist John Baldessari gave a public talk at the Hammer Museum where he described the California art scene during the late 50s-60s. He was living and working in the somewhat culturally isolated environment of his hometown in National City, San Diego, where there were only half a dozen artists, few museums or galleries to show their artworks and fewer audiences who accepted the underappreciated art form. Staying away from the commercial art scene, artists could do whatever they wanted in their own funny and loose way, which meant there were no audience and art critics to be concerned with or to flatter or please. They devoted themselves to creating intimate, personal artworks in a free atmosphere that made the LA art scene distinctive and unique.

Other than Baldessari, PST also features such internationally acclaimed artists as pop-art heavyweight Ed Ruscha, feminist artist Judy Chicago and die-hard performance artist Chris Burden, as well as artists generally unknown to the public, such as black, feminist, and Chicano artists. LA became a major center for contemporary art, and yet, despite its prominence, so much post-war art created in the city remains unknown or little understood.  


Japanese Version