Posts Tagged ‘Los Angeles Public Library’

America has always been about the future; Los Angeles, at the nether reaches of the “left coast,” has always attracted pioneers. No wonder then that modernists should be attracted to LA for its endless possibilities to create something new rather than replicate the tried and true.

Richard Neutra (NOY-tra, not NOO-tra) came to LA in 1926 and created modernist residential architecture for a fundamentally new way of living in the 20th century. His philosophy emphasized simplicity over ornamentation and functionality over all else. Far from being cold or stark, he used industrial building techniques and materials like steel, concrete, and glass to design homes which invited the scenic outdoors into the indoor living space.

Upon his arrival in LA, Neutra lived and worked communally with his friend Rudolf Schindler at Schindler’s Kings Road House in West Hollywood. Shortly thereafter, Neutra designed and built his most widely acknowledged masterpieces, the Lovell House and VDL House, both in Silverlake.

Neutra appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1949 and was considered second only in importance to the godfather of American “star-chitects,” Frank Lloyd Wright. And Neutra’s influence can be seen in the work of mid-century modern darlings such as Charles and Ray Eames, who dreamed of one day living in a Neutra home — before they eventually built their own Neutra/Mondrian mash-up in Pacific Palisades.

The carefully selected collection of works on display at the Los Angeles Central Public Library’s Getty Gallery is an opportunity to observe Neutra’s creative process and evolution. Featured are sketches and drawings created during his travels as a student, as well as architectural renderings of his Los Angeles houses from the 1950s.

The exhibit is free and open to the public during regular library hours.

-By Peter Lee

Richard Neutra, Architect: Sketches and Drawings from May 3 to Sept. 6, 2009, at Central Library’s Getty Gallery, 630 W. Fifth St.