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“Richard Neutra, Architect: Sketches and Drawings”
An Exhibition of Works by One of Modernism’s Most Important Architects

Opens May 3, 2009, Central Library’s Getty Gallery

Special Programs, Audio Tours Accompany exhibit

 

An outstanding selection of travel sketches, figure drawings and building renderings by one of modernism’s most important architects, Richard Neutra (1892-1970), will be on display in the exhibit Richard Neutra, Architect: Sketches and Drawings from May 3 to Sept. 6, 2009, at Central Library’s Getty Gallery, 630 W. Fifth St., downtown Los Angeles. The exhibit is free and open to the public during regular library hours.

The exhibition features choice selections at the Charles E. Young Research Library’s Department of Special Collections, UCLA. The pieces range from early pencil sketches from Neutra’s student wandering in 1913 to later pastel renderings of his Los Angeles houses from the 1950s. Selected for their artistic quality, the works illustrate Neutra’s skill in traditional notions of composition combined with his innovative techniques of architectural representation.

“Not only was Richard Neutra an imaginative and innovative architect, he was also a remarkable draughtsman, and the Department of Special Collections is pleased to have the chance to share its collection of his sketches with visitors to this exhibition,” says Department Director Victoria Steele.

Neutra’s work in Southern California – characterized by the post and beam structure, cantilevered roof slabs extending into space and an emphasis on the interpenetration of inner and outer space – developed a regional architecture that gained international prominence.

Thomas S. Hines, the exhibition’s curator and author of Richard Neutra and the Search for Modern Architecture, notes “While the world’s greatest architects have necessarily possessed imagination and skill in planning and conceiving buildings and environments, not all have been great artists and drafters. Richard Neutra was all of those. In the days before computer-aided design, he was supremely gifted in putting pen, pencil, and the watercolor brush to paper.”

Richard Neutra, Architect: Sketches and Drawings will be accompanied by a free audio tour featuring a discussion among a group of diverse people on the subject of the artistry and importance of Richard Neutra. Produced by Sandpail Productions, the audio tour includes such voices as Ray Kappe, Kelly Lynch, Sarah Lorenzen, Leo Marmol, Dion Neutra, and Victoria Steele. The audio tour will be available in the gallery via cell phone or by download to an mp3 player via the Library’s website, www.lapl.org.

Also, ALOUD at Central Library will present a series of talks with renowned architects in conjunction with this exhibition including a lecture, "Hollywood and Uncle Sam: Richard Neutra and the Great Depression," by exhibition curator Thomas S. Hines, on Sunday, June 28, at 3 p.m., for more information visit www.aloudla.org.

Richard Neutra, Architect: Sketches and Drawings is produced by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles for the Los Angeles Public Library in cooperation with the Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library at UCLA. Exhibits at the Central Library are made possible in part through a grant from The James Irvine Foundation.

For more information on the exhibition, visit www.lapl.org/exhibits/neutra. To support the Los Angeles Public Library, call the Foundation at (213) 228-7500 or visit www.lfla.org.

The Los Angeles Public Library serves the largest urban population of any library in the country. Its Central Library, 71 branch libraries, more than six million books, and state-of-the-art technology provide everyone with free and easy access to information and the opportunity for life-long learning.

The Central Library is located in Council District 9, represented by Councilmember Jan Perry.