Lubliner (Malcolm) Photographs of the Los Angeles Art Scene, 1967-1997, undated (bulk 1968-1971), bulk 1968-1971

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Summary

Title:
Malcolm Lubliner photographs of the Los Angeles Art Scene
Dates:
1967-1997, undated (bulk 1968-1971), bulk 1968-1971
Creators:
Lubliner, Malcolm
Abstract:
The collection of photographs of the Los Angeles art scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s by photographer Malcolm Lubliner records the activities of artists such as Claes Oldenburg, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Josef Albers, John Altoon, Frank Stella, and Sam Francis. Most of the photographs were commissioned by Gemini G.E.L., and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Art and Technology (A&T) Program. Included in the collection are approximately 460 sleeves of negatives, 600 corresponding contact prints, and 300 photographic prints, including duplicates.
Extent:
21.75 Linear Feet (20 boxes)
Language:
Collection material is in English.
Preferred citation:

Malcolm Lubliner photographs of the Los Angeles art scene, 1967-1997, bulk 1968-1971, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2012.R.21.

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2012r21

Background

Scope and content:

The collection of photographs of the Los Angeles art scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s by photographer Malcolm Lubliner records the activities of artists such as Claes Oldenburg, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Josef Albers, John Altoon, Frank Stella, and Sam Francis. The collection contains approximately 460 negative and slide sleeves, 600 corresponding contact prints, and 300 gelatin silver prints (including duplicates), which were largely produced during Lubliner's time as the contract photographer for Gemini G.E.L. and LACMA's Art and Technology Program. Also included is a small amount of other material, including documents pertaining to certain shoots.

Series I consists of materials pertaining to Lubliner's documentation of various artists and their production activities, many of which were part of his commissions from Gemini G.E.L. and LACMA's Art and Technology Program. Included are behind-the-scenes photographs and records of projects such as Claes Oldenburg's Profile Airflow and Giant Ice Bag; Jasper Johns's Numerals lead reliefs and No lithographs; Robert Rauschenberg's lithographs for Stoned Moon Series and Cardbird Series; and Edward Kienholz's Sawdy sculpture. In many cases, the staff members and facilities of Gemini are heavily featured, including Kenneth Tyler and Stanley Grinstein. In addition, the series also features several events and solo exhibitions that were organized under the individual artist's names, including James Lee Byars's Mile Long Hat performance at Dwan Gallery; the First National Symposium on Habitability at Robert Irwin's studio; and Edward Kienholz's Barter Show at the Eugenia Butler Gallery.

Series II consists of materials pertaining to Lubliner's documentation of different social and cultural events within the Los Angeles art world. Included are photographs of social gatherings at the homes of Stanley Grinstein, Betty Asher, and Maurice Tuchman; opening night of the Serial Imagery exhibition at Pasadena Art Museum; concerts and performances by Yvonne Rainer and Steve Paxton; and a possible working model from Experiments in Art and Technology's Spherical Mirror Dome project.

Most of Lubliner's negatives and contact prints are organized by individual shoots and were originally contained in separate envelopes. The envelopes bore typewritten descriptions pertaining to the shoot, mainly a record number, the artist(s) involved, the title of the project or event, location, and year. Titles and dates of the files in this collection were largely derived from them, unless otherwise noted. A number of envelopes contained additional information, which is included in the file-level notes as appropriate.

Additionally, most of Lubliner's negative sleeves and contact prints are numbered according to the format: [record no.] - [negative sleeve or contact print no.]. Some renumbering done by Lubliner also occurred (usually on verso of contact prints or at the top of negative sleeves), which, in most cases, explains the existence of more than one record number (included as "additional record numbers" in the file-level notes), and in some cases, discrepencies in numbering between the contact prints, negatives, and/or prints. Specific instances where this occured are noted in the file-level notes.

Unless otherwise noted, contact prints and prints are gelatin silver prints. Most of the 8 x 10 inch gelatin silver prints are keyed on the verso to their corresponding images following this format: [record no.] - [contact print or negative sleeve no.] / [frame no.] ( [copy no.] ). This format, or some variation of it, was followed when transcribing annotations or referring to specific images in the file-level scope notes throughout this finding aid. Annotations on the verso of some 11 x 14 inch prints date them as having been printed between 1968 and 1972, and are noted below. In several cases, this date range conflicts with the recorded date of when the original images were supposedly photographed (usually the year on their corresponding negatives or contact prints). A number of the 11 x 14 inch prints that were printed early on by Lubliner are also numbered as editioned prints.

Most contact prints are wet-stamped or labeled on the verso with Lubliner's studio contact information and copyright. Many of the 11 x 14 inch prints are also wet-stamped and signed on the verso.

Biographical / historical:

Malcolm Lubliner was born in New York in 1933. His family moved from New York to Los Angeles in 1939. After military service and a year at Los Angeles City College, he studied painting and drawing at Otis Art Institute, where he received an MFA degree in 1962. After graduating from Otis, he taught at various private and public institutions before teaching graduate courses in painting and drawing at California State University, Long Beach in 1967. He left in 1968 to become a full-time photographer.

Lubliner was then hired as a contract photographer for Gemini G.E.L. (Graphic Editions Limited), a publishing workshop in Los Angeles. He would also become the official photographer for Los Angeles County Museum of Art's (LACMA) Art and Technology Program (1967-1971), which paired a select group of artists with technology companies in Southern California. Photographing artists such as Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, Robert Irwin, Richard Serra, Frank Stella, John Altoon, and Sam Francis among others, Lubliner documented many of the behind-the-scenes production activities at Gemini and at the artists' own studios. In addition, he captured various artistic and social events of the day, which were frequented by both artists and cultural notables alike, such as Maurice Tuchman, Stanley Grinstein, Betty Asher, and Leo Castelli. Lubliner's work from this period was included, along with those of Dennis Hopper, Jerry McMillan, Edmund Teske, and others, in the 1996 exhibition and accompanying catalogue, Photographing the L.A. Art Scene: 1955-1975.

Lubliner moved to northern California in 1982 where he has continued his career as a photographer. He is currently represented by Craig Krull Gallery.

Sources consulted:

CityVisions - Malcolm Lubliner Photography, Malcolm Lubliner - Photography & Art Since 1965. www.cityvisions.com.

Lubliner, Malcom, e-mail mesage to authors, April 290, 2016.

Acquisition information:
Acquired in 2012.
Processing information:

Processed by B. Karenina Karyadi under the supervision of Beth Ann Guynn in 2014.

Arrangement:

The collection is comprised of two series: Series I. Artists, 1967-1992, undated (bulk 1968-1971); Series II. Events, 1968-1997 (bulk 1968-1971).

Physical location:
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Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
B. Karenina Karyadi
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-04-01 11:03:05 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers.

Preferred citation:

Malcolm Lubliner photographs of the Los Angeles art scene, 1967-1997, bulk 1968-1971, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2012.R.21.

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2012r21

Location of this collection:
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90049-1688, US
Contact:
(310) 440-7390
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