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Al Moran's L.A. Picks

Artsy Editorial
Apr 10, 2013 2:17PM

For our interview with OHWOW Gallery founder Al Moran, we asked him to choose four works on Artsy that he feels best capture Los Angeles/California. 

Ansel Adams, Winter Sunrise, Sierra Nevada from Lone Pine, CA

I've been looking at a lot of Ansel Adams photographs lately based on conversations with David Benjamin Sherry. David's looking at Adams as inspiration and pushing it to a new level. I've become a huge fan of Adams as a result. His use of light, his compositions, and his overall mastery of the photography are really stunning. I used to take his photographs for granted, now I look at them with awe.

Wallace Berman, Untitled

Wallace Berman's contributions to contemporary art cannot be understated. He was the seminal L.A. artist and paved the way for a generation of artists and artisans. I've had conversations with George Herms about Berman and can see the admiration in George's eyes whenever he brings him up. He touched the lives of so many people around him in a deeply profound way.

Robert Irwin, 1º 2 º 3 º 4º

Living in Los Angeles I am constantly being affected by the outdoors. I think Robert Irwin was the best at using nature and framing nature within his practice in a tangible way. His installation at the Getty is a great example of this. 1º 2 º 3 º 4º, 1997 is another wonderful example. When I think of Irwin I always think about his light installations within gallery or museums walls, but his strengths ultimately reside in his ability to play with light and space in physical environments. That's his genius in my eyes.

John Baldessari, Three Red Paintings

Every time I see one of these works from John Baldessari I immediately think of California for some reason. When I look at an artist's practice as a whole, I cannot find a more exciting example of a great career than that of John Baldessari. He's done it all and done it at the highest level. At every stage of his career, he created works that resonated with his generation and influenced the next.

Artsy Editorial