Los Angeles 1955-1985 
Centre Pompidou
Centre Pompidou, 01.44.78.12.33, until 17 july 2006.
This exhibition shows us how, in
thirty years, Los Angeles became one of the world capitals of the
contemporary art, symmetric energy Pacific ocean of the dynamic New
York in the East of the country. Arranging 17 wealthy galleries,
the Pompidou center presents 350 paintings, sculptures, photographs and
installations various which recall the principal alternating currents
of inventive California: Pop Art, the assemblies, the minimalism
fetish, the Light and Space of the Seventies then the conceptual art
which takes over. Several recognized artists emerged from these
tendencies of which Baldessari, Kaprow, Ruscha, Turrell, English David
Hockney installed in Los Angeles in 1964 and symbolic flag of the
circumvent of pop Californian art. At the same time of
César on this side of the Atlantic, a generation of sculptors
will make the dustbins to work agglomerated recycling,
écologico-artistic compressions and other assemblies (Herms,
Berman, Sam Rodia, Kienholz, the gigantism of Nancy Rubins).
These movements will also offer to their authors the occasion to
express their protestation of the war of Vietnam and a formidable
platform for the defense of the ethnic minorities. The politic is
never far from the symbols. Irving Petlin is founders of the
committee of artists protesters in 1965. The feminists engulf
themselves in the project and a generation of militant women is born
(Eleanor Antin, Judy Chicago). A protean exhibition which shows
us the capacity of prophecy of California compared to the social and
artistic concerns contemporary.
