Pacific Standard Time Exhibit Opens

The focus of the art world shifted to Southern California beginning Oct. 1 with the opening of “Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945 – 1980,” the ambitious six-month initiative that tells the story of the birth of the Los Angeles art scene.

Bringing together more than 60 partner institutions and incorporating a 10-day Performance and Public Art Festival in January 2012, Pacific Standard Time is the largest cultural collaboration ever undertaken in the region.

Jointly initiated by the Getty Foundation and the Getty Research Institute in 2002, Pacific Standard Time brings to light the dynamic history of art in Los Angeles from the post-World War II era through the turbulent 1960s and 1970s. With grants from the Foundation now totaling more than $10 million, what began as a collaborative effort to preserve the archival record of the milestones in this region’s artistic history has now expanded into a great creative landmark in itself.

“Never before have so many arts institutions worked in concert to present such a large and varied body of work to the public,” stated James Cuno, president and CEO, The J. Paul Getty Trust. “The sheer scale of this undertaking is exhilarating. Even more exhilarating are the discoveries and surprises that await our audiences in virtually every Pacific Standard Time exhibition.”

To help visitors navigate their way around the many exhibitions and events, Pacific Standard Time created pacificstandardtime.org, a virtual hub that serves as a centralized source for comprehensive and up-to-date information about the exhibitions and related programs. In addition to sophisticated search options and MyTime, a personalized itinerary feature, the website offers downloadable family visitor’s guides and blog postings that feature insightful posts by culture journalists.

Organized by the Getty Research Institute and LA><ART, the Pacific Standard Time Performance and Public Art Festival will be held Jan. 19-29, 2012 and will include more than 30 projects, featuring re-stagings of historic performances as well as reinterpretations by younger artists of works of their predecessors. The festival will take place at institutions and sites from Malibu to Watts, and from downtown L.A. to the desert.

The Details