Archive: Venice, CA Part Two

Venice Part Two 1951-Present

Venice's forlorn condition in the 50s made it an attractive home for many of the early beat poets. Poets like Tony Scibella hung around the Gas House and Venice West Cafe.

Feel of rain in the face
moonjuice/
partial to poets
the lady’s tears

-Tony Scibella

Gas House on Ocean Front Walk

Venice West Cafe

In the 60s, the Venice art scene replaced the 50s Beat scene. Artists involved include Ed Moses, Ed Ruscha, and Billy Al Bengston, dubbed 'The Venice Boys.' According to the website 'Virtual Venice,' Andy Warhol was lured to Venice by Dennis Hopper, and had his first US show in 1962 at the Ferus Gallery which though on La Cienega, had its origins in Venice. In early 60s, hung out with Gavin Lambert who wrote 2 books that concerned Venice. In 1978 Warhol had a show "Torsos" at the Ace Gallery. Owner Doug Chrismas said "When we got to the gallery, the entire street was a solid block of people." To help protect Warhol, he had bodyguards from Gold’s Gym. After the opening, they partied at Hal’s on the beach.

Archive: Venice, California Part 1

1301PE has been spending some time at John Baldessari's new studio in Venice in preparation for the upcoming exhibition "Not Prints: Posters 1966-2010". For the exhibition the gallery will be covered wall-to-wall with over forty years of posters designed by the artist. These posters mirror the evolution of Baldessari's work which has become more colorful and dimensional over the years. Spending time in Venice, CA, a sub-city in Los Angeles, it is interesting to think about its history over the past 105 years.

Inside John Baldessari's Studio

Poster for John Baldessari "Not Prints: Posters 1966-2010."

Archive: Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits

A few blocks down from 1301PE are the famous La Brea Tar Pits and George C. Page Museum. Hancock park was formed around the La Brea Tar Pits and in many ways the Tar Pits are the heart of urban Los Angeles. The first written records of the tar pits were made by Father Juan Crespi during an expedition led by Spanish explorer Gasper de Portoláin 1769. "La Brea" is spanish for 'tar' or 'asphalt.'

Image of the tar pits from 1910 with oil derricks in background.

Archive: Two Notable 1301PE Group Exhibitions

In addition to the recent One Room, One Work exhibition, other notable group exhibitions at 1301PE include 'Together Again Like Never Before: The Poster Work of Michael Asher and Martin Kippenberger' from 1999 and Lincoln Tobier, Jorge Pardo, Sarah Seager, and Rirkrit Tiravanija from 1993.

In keeping with his penchant for peripheral spaces, Michael Asher presented only one poster for the exhibition which was the exhibition's invitation. All framed posters inside the gallery space were by Martin Kippenberger, ranging in date from 1978 to 1997.

Installation views

Sampling of some Kippenberger posters

Archive: Clifton's Cafeterias

The first Clifton's Cafeteria opened in 1935 and continues to operate on S. Broadway in downtown Los Angeles.  This cafeteria was dubbed Clifton's Brookdale because of its California Redwood themed interior.

Ray Bradbury getting food at Clifton's Brookdale

Archive: Cold Days to Sunny Days

In January 1999 Cold Days, an exhibition by Judy Ledgerwood, opened at the Renaissance Society in Chicago. This exhibition was the impetus for Judy's first exhibition at 1301PE Sunny Days which opened March 23, 2002.

Cold Days at The Renaissance Society

As stated in the 1301PE press release for Sunny Days the all white canvases in Cold Days "were to be encountered after trudging through the snow in Chicago."

"Those primarily white site-specific paintings provided Ledgerwood with a starting point for this exhibition [Sunny Days]."

Sunny Days at 1301PE

"In the new works, she explores the melancholia that lies behind the sun. While the Cold Days painting were monochromatic, in the new works Ledgerwood uses a more complex tonal range as a challenge to describe the fleeting moment of Los Angeles in spring."

Archive: 6150 Wilshire Before 1301PE

Before galleries moved into 6150 Wilshire Blvd. the building was a LANZ department store. Lanz of Salzburg is primarily known for producing nightgowns, classic pyjamas and other sleepwear.

According to Wikipedia, Developer A.W. Ross saw potential for the area, and developed Wilshire as a commercial district to rival downtown Los Angeles. Ross's insight was that the form and scale of the Wilshire strip should attract and serve automobile traffic rather than pedestrian shoppers.

Although the preponderance of shopping malls and the development in the 1960s of financial and business districts in downtown and Century City lessened the Miracle Mile's importance as a retail center, the area has retained its vitality thanks to the addition of several museums and commercial high-rises.

LACMA's building on Fairfax and Wilshire used to be a May Co Department store. Images from the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection.

Archive: 1301PE's First Show

On April 29th, 1992, 1301 (the PE for Projects and Editions was added later) opened its first show with work by Kate Ericson and Mel Ziegler. 1301 was named after the gallery's street address in Santa Monica. At this time the gallery was in Brian Butler's converted townhouse apartment. As it turns out, April 29th, 1992 was also the day the LA Riots broke out...

Kate Ericson and Mel Ziegler, Raw Material, 1992, G scale model train, sandblasted tinted Imperial Dandy Marble

Review of the show


Pictures of the LA Riots from the LA Times