Lecture: Indefinable Lifeblood: John Altoon and LA Art in the 1960s

Alexandra Schwartz, Adjunct Professor, SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology and Guest Curator, Museum of Arts and Design, New York City
July 21, 2022

John Altoon was an innovative artist and a larger-than-life personality. During the 1960s he was exhibiting at Ferus Gallery—a cradle of the LA art scene—and teaching at Chouinard Art Institute, now CalArts. Such artists as Ed Ruscha (who has called him an "indefinable lifeblood”), Billy Al Bengston and Laddie John Dill remember him as an indelible role model and mentor. In this virtual lecture, Schwartz focuses on Altoon at the height of his powers during a legendary period in LA art.

Presented in conjunction with Alternate Realities: Altoon, Diebenkorn, Lobdell, Woelffer on view May 13–August 22, 2022.