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Public Information Office photographs
PUB.001.002
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Contributing Institution:
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Title: Public Information Office photographs
Identifier/Call Number: PUB.001.002
Physical Description:
24.6 Linear Feet
(59 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1944-1989
Date (bulk): 1960-1975
Language of Material:
English
.
These photographs and records were most likely compiled by or for the Public Information Office of the Los Angeles County
Museum of Art (LACMA) for reference and/or publicity use. The bulk of these photographs were created by the staff of LACMA's
Photographic Services department. The Photographic Services department fulfilled requests from museum staff for original photography
or reproductions of existing photography of museum events, staff, art objects, and installations for the purposes of reference,
publication, publicity, and other purposes. LACMA's Photographic Services department has been in existence since at least
1964 when staff documented the move of the museum's art collections from Exhibition Park to its location on Wilshire Boulevard.
Photographs taken before 1964 were likely produced by photographers employed by the Los Angeles County Museum of Science,
History, and Art before the Art Division separated to become LACMA.
This collection consists of 59 boxes totaling 24.6 linear feet, dating from 1944 to 1989 (bulk 1960 to 1975) organized in
two series. The bulk of the collection are black and white photographic prints and negatives and also includes color transparencies,
black and white contact sheets, and color and black and white slides. Also present are memos, request for photograph forms,
photograph labels, exhibition brochures, newspaper clippings, and press releases.
The Exhibition Photographs series primarily comprises object photography pertaining to museum exhibitions as well as photography
of installed artworks. Objects depicted are from LACMA's permanent collection or were loan objects. Exhibitions represented
in this series took place from 1944 to 1989. Exhibitions for which installation photography is present include
Master Works of Mexican Art (EX. 1292),
Robert Irwin- Kenneth Price (EX. 1320),
Picasso: 60 Years of Graphic Works (EX. 1325),
Man Ray (EX. 1326),
Sculpture of Black Africa: the Paul Tishman Collection (EX. 1359),
American Sculpture of the Sixties (EX. 1331),
Installation of Planes (Braniff) Decorated by Alexander Calder (EX. 1468),
Chinese Paintings from the Cahill Collection (EX. 1481) and others. Photographs of events related to the exhibitions can be found in
Reuben Nakian - Sculpture and Drawings (EX. 1272),
Philip Guston Exhibition (EX. 1288),
Six Painters and the Object (EX. 1290),
Master Works of Mexican Art (EX. 1292),
The Bitter Years: 1935-1941 (EX. 1298),
Art Treasures of Turkey (EX. 1321),
Kate Steinitz Collection (EX. 1374) and others. Exhibitions 947 through 1292 (dating from 1944 to 1964) took place at the Los Angeles County Museum
of Science, History and Art, now the location of the Natural History Museum located at Exposition Park, while the rest of
the exhibitions were installed at the Museum's location on Wilshire Blvd.
The Non-Exhibition Photographs series comprises photography that is not related to an exhibition held at the Museum. Photographs
date from between 1950 and 1989 or are undated, and depict galleries, museum buildings and facilities, staff, visitors and
events. People depicted include museum trustees, volunteers, curators, security, art preparation, library and registrarial
staff, including LACMA's first director Richard Brown. The file titled "LACMA Pre-1975 Move to New Location" depicts museum
staff and volunteers packing, transporting and unpacking museum collections when LACMA moved to its new campus on Wilshire
Boulevard in 1964.
This collection contains two series. The Exhibition Photographs series is arranged by the Museum's exhibition/project number
assigned by the museum registrar in roughly chronological order. The Non-Exhibition Photographs series is arranged alphabetically
by subject as they appeared in the original folder title. Folder titles in each series were transcribed without changes but
mispellings were corrected.
The Public Information Office photographs was arranged and described, and this finding aid created, between April 2014 and
October 2015 by interns and archivist Jessica Gambling. Intern Natalie de Almeida arranged, described and rehoused the Non-Exhibition
Photographs series in April of 2014. Intern Hannah Moshier arranged, described and rehoused the bulk of the Exhibition Photographs
series from June to September 2014. Intern Karen Karyadi completed the integration and description of separated materials
into the Exhibitions Photographs series from March to June 2015. This finding aid was completed by Jessica Gambling in September
2015. Julia Han rehoused and re-numbered boxes and folders and revised the finding aid in 2024.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment only through the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Balch Art Research
Library. Telephone 323-857-6118 or email library@lacma.org.
Contact the Balch Research Library at 323-856-6118 or library@lacma.org for information on publishing or reproducing materials
included in these records. For some photography permission will be granted by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art as the
owner of the physical materials, and does not imply permission from the copyright holder. It is the responsibility of the
researcher to obtain all necessary permissions from the copyright holder.
[Description of item], Public Information Office photographs, Los Angeles County Museum of Art Balch Art Research Library,
PUB.001.002.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Museum buildings -- California -- Los Angeles
Photographs
Art museums -- California -- Los Angeles
Art museums -- Exhibitions -- California -- Los Angeles