One Last Look at Julius Shulman's Los Angeles

It's your last chance this weekend to catch Julius Shulman's Los Angeles, which continues until this Sunday at the Los Angeles Central Library's Getty Gallery. (Yes, I know it's technically the "Richard J. Riordan Central Library" -- but I still can't say it.)



If you love Los Angeles, you owe it to yourself to see this exhibit. You've probably seen some of these pics -- particularly his "Case Study House #22" (above), which served as an iconic image of L.A. in the 1960s. And you've probably also seen his shots of Bunker Hill in transition -- especially that famous pic of the last two Victorian homes on the hill (waiting to be removed), with a skyscraper looming in the background.

Shulman, who's now 97, has lived in Los Angeles since 1920... and has been documenting the city almost ever since. In a city that hasn't always taken care of its landmarks, Shulman's photos are sometimes the closest thing to a historical record that L.A. has.

As the exhibit points out, Shulman was simply a photographer out to take great shots. It didn't matter who his client was -- in the case of Bunker Hill, he was hired both by preservationists, to record the neighborhood's legacy, and by the Bunker Hill redevelopment agency, to promote the new skyscraper vision for downtown.

The exhibit isn't perfect: I noticed several messed up dates listed below the pics: For one photo, it said Shulman took a picture in 1969 of a building that wasn't even erected until 1974. In another, a modern building -- clearly built after the city's height restrictions were lifted -- was listed as having been erected in the 1940s.

But those are minor quibbles. I spent at least an hour examining all those photos; thankfully, the Getty Gallery is near the children's library (on the second floor), so Blogger Toddler and Maria kept busy as well.

According to the library, the exhibit includes rarely-seen photographs from the Julius Shulman photography archive at the Getty Research Institute. The best part? It's free and open during regular library hours: Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.