LEO POLITI ART ON EXHIBIT AT LAPL, Los Angeles, CA: Scenes from the City's Rich Past

Angel's Flight, Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, CA, drawing by Leo Politi

“There was no easy way to get to the top of Bunker Hill from the steep east side, so in 1901 engineer Colonel J.W. Eddy built ‘Angel’s Flight’, and all through the years, since then, his two little cable cars, Olivet and Sinai, have been taking people up and down the Hill…” (Leo Politi) 

Leo Politi (1906-1998), award winning children’s book illustrator and artist of iconic Los Angeles scenes, is the quintessential California artist. His art tells the story of Los Angeles as it was in the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s. Many of his paintings are in the collection of the Los Angeles Public Library. Recently, they have been mounted in a permanent exhibit in the children’s book department, along with photos of the artist at work. An excellent remembrance by Tina Princenthal, Senior Librarian, of Leo Politi and his impact on the people and life of the city is on the LAPL blog. The post includes a list of Leo Politi's books available at the library.

Painting: House of Nell McKinzie. Photo: Leo Politi with admirers.

“One of the few original residents of Bunker Hill is Nell McKinzie…She lived at 245 Bunker Hill Avenue all of her life…'Father built a plain house because he could not afford the gingerbread ornaments’ she said almost apologetically one day.” (Leo Politi)

“I asked Miss McKinzie: ‘Do you remember the Hill when you were a little girl?’ ‘Oh, yes,’ she answered. ‘Everywhere on the Hill there were beautiful homes! My sisters and brother and I used to play with other children of the neighborhood…” (Leo Politi)

Feeding the pigeons.

I went to see the Leo Politi exhibit on a recent visit to the library. It was wonderful to view the original art up close and to read the accompanying descriptions. The exhibit is in two parts—in rooms at each end of the main reading room of the children’s department.  Here are a few examples from the exhibit. I recommend that you go yourself to see them all.

Brousseau Home

“With the huge noisy city buzzing  with life all around it, the old Brousseau mansion now stands lovely and silent.” (Leo Politi)

Artist Colony Sketch.

”The many intricate stairways winding up and down Clay Street, from one building to another, and from one floor to another, gave the place a quaint atmosphere which attracted artists…” (Leo Politi)

REMEMBERING FLOYD COOPER, JR, 1956-2021, Author/Illustrator

Author/Illustrator Floyd Cooper, Jr.

Floyd Cooper, Jr., 1956-2021, whose paintings and stories transformed people's lives, was remembered by family, friends, editors, librarians, fellow authors, and others that knew him in a virtual celebration of his life and legacy on Friday, January 7. Although I had never personally met Floyd Cooper, I had heard him speak at a children's book festival and was impressed by his art and ability to connect with children through his stories. As one speaker said of him: he encouraged young children to become change agents.
The memorial program, sponsored by the Highlights Foundation in partnership with The Brown Bookshelf, included video and audio clips of Floyd and his work, special guest tributes, and celebrations of his art and legacy.  
Floyd was the award-winning illustrator and author/illustrator of nearly 100 books for children.  His real and beautiful depiction of the Black experience, his signature “subtractive process,” and his genuine spirit of kindness and mentorship will forever be an important part of the children’s publishing industry. He will be sorely missed.

Click HERE to see the VIDEO of the memorial program and learn more about Floyd Cooper's legacy.

METROPOLIS II by Chris Burden at LACMA–a Child’s Delight

On the first level of the Broad Museum of Contemporary Art at LACMA is a wonderful miniature city with buildings, roads, vehicles and more. Built by artist Chris Burden, Metropolis II it is a delight for adult and child alike. One can view the sculpture at eye level, or from a surrounding walkway above. On the day I visited I came between the scheduled action sessions, but even so, or perhaps because the vehicles were locked in place, it made the complexity and detail of the structures within the maze of tracks even more impressive.

The exhibit is ongoing and included with the general admission to the museum. It is well worth a stop if you are visiting LACMA.

Chris Burden's Metropolis II is an intense kinetic sculpture, modeled after a fast paced, frenetic modern city. Steel beams form an eclectic grid interwoven with an elaborate system of 18 roadways, including one six lane freeway, and HO scale train tracks. Miniature cars speed through the city at 240 scale miles per hour; every hour, the equivalent of approximately 100,000 cars circulate through the dense network of buildings. According to Burden, "The noise, the continuous flow of the trains, and the speeding toy cars produce in the viewer the stress of living in a dynamic, active and bustling 21st century city."

See Metropolis II in action (no reservation required):
Fridays
11:30–12:30 pm; 1:30–2:30 pm; 3:30–4:30 pm; 5:30–6:30 pm
Saturdays and Sundays
10:30 am–11:30 am; 12:30–1:30 pm; 2:30–3:30 pm; 4:30–5:30 pm

David Wiesner Picture Book Illustrations at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Illustration from Mr. Wuffles by David Weisner at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art

David Wiesner, the recipient of three Caldecott Medals for his books, Tuesday (1992), The Three Pigs (2002) and Flotsam (2007), is one of the premier children’s book illustrators of our time.

Looking into the second room of the exhibit

A week ago I went with two friends to see the exhibit, David Wiesner, the Art of Picture Book Storytelling at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. It was a wonderful opportunity to see his original paintings up close and to learn about the various influences on his work, ranging from silent movies from the 1930's, surrealist painters, his childhood memories, comic books, his pet cat, and more. 

Illustration from Flotsam

David Wiesner's mastery of detail and imaginative use of images make you want to examine his art again and again–each time finding something new to look at.

Art from The Three Pigs

A collection of his books are also part of the exhibit, allowing visitors to read the stories along with viewing the art. Here are just a few of the paintings in this stunning exhibit. The exhibit, which opened January 29, 2017 will close May 14, 2017.

Reproduction of David Weisner's Book Week poster