Pacific Standard Time at the Getty

Recently I told you all about the tour the Los Angeles Conservancy is conducting as part of Pacific Standard Time Presents Modern Architecture in LA. Well, the Conservancy is but one of the many cultural institutions taken part in this initiative. The others include The Getty a place that regularly is mentioned on this here blog. Its exhibit Overdrive: LA Constructs the Future 1940-1990 opened last week and I had the pleasure of attending a press preview.

LAX, Theme Building by Pereira & Luckman, Welton Becket & Associates, and Paul R. Williams, 1958 Image courtesy of and © Luckman Salas O’Brien

The exhibit is broken down into five themes: car culture, urban networks, engines of innovation, community magnets, and residential fabric. These themes encompass every aspect of Los Angeles architecture between the years 1940-1990. As you can expect that covers a lot.

Century Plaza Hotel by Minoru Yamasaki, 1962 Screenprint by Carlos Diniz

There are models and blue prints and photographs and paintings and brochures and videos. There’s googie and mid century modern. There’s the freeway system and LAX, the Capitol Records building and a local KFC, the Dorothy Chandler and the 1984 Olympics.

Rail Rapid Transit Now! by Rapid Transit Action Group, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, 1948

In other words, it covers everything and the kitchen sink. I loved wandering through the exhibit and had I had more time I could have spent hours there reading, watching videos, and admiring the amazing architectural output of this 50 year period. It’s an amazing exhibit that should not be missed!

Overdrive: LA Constructs the Future 1940-1990 runs through July 21, 2013.

The Getty
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90049
open Tues-Fri 10-5:30, Sat 10-9, Sun 10-5:30, closed Mondays
admission free, parking $15