Commercial Modern

Last week, I made it out to the Getty Museum to take in a conversation on the future of museums (rather than the future of art) featuring a fantastic keynote by Ivan Gaskell who holds the title Margaret S. Winthrop Curator of Paintings, Sculpture, and Decorative Arts in the Harvard Art Museum, and Senior Lecturer on History. During lunch, I ran across the work of photographer Paul Outerbridge.  Aside from his images' striking resemblance to modernist paintings, Outerbridge's is credited with developing a multi-step color process, which gave his work the "aura of the new" both in his commercial work and art photography. In the exhibition, the lines blur between these two impulses. 

To develop interest in Outerbridge, the Getty is organizing a course around the exhibition. The course is titled "Paul Outerbridge: An American Photo Modernist," where curator and photography scholar Graham Howe will look deeper at his work. The course will include a lecture on Outerbridge, plus dedicated tours and discussion of the exhibition Paul Outerbridge: Command Performance, which presents over 100 photographs from all periods of his career. For tickets or detailed information on this event you can call 310/440.7300 

If you make it to the Getty, see the show its paired with, Jo Ann Callis: Woman Twirling, for a comparison of modern and post-modern approaches to figures and grounds. Admission to the Getty is always free. Admission for the course Paul Outerbridge: An American Photo Modernist is $20. Parking is $10.  J. Paul Getty Trust 1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 403 Los Angeles, CA 90049.