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Collage of five diverse artworks from the Hammer Museum Collections side by side. From left to right: 1) Contemporary painting of two embracing figures with surreal elements. 2) Post-impressionist style painting of trees with vibrant blues and greens. 3) Black and white illustration of a face with intricate patterns. 4) Japanese woodblock print style image of a figure in a checkered robe. 5) Photograph of a couple dancing, the woman in a black dress and the man in white

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Digital Archive Now Dig This!: Art and Black Los Angeles 1960–1980

Themes

Frontrunners

The work and activism of this group of black artists in the emergent Los Angeles art scene in the late 1950s and 1960s would influence a younger generation.
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Black Pope (Sandwich Board Man), by Charles White, 1973

Charles White, Black Pope (Sandwich Board Man), 1973

Prelude to Autumn, by Betye Saar, 1962

Betye Saar, Prelude to Autumn, 1962

The House of Tarot, by Betye Saar, 1966

Betye Saar, The House of Tarot, 1966

Assembling

For black artists in the 1960s and 70s, assemblage was a key artistic strategy, transforming discarded objects into expressions of collective social experiences.
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Black Girl's Window, by Betye Saar, 1969

Betye Saar, Black Girl's Window, 1969

America's Problem Solver, by John T. Riddle Jr., 1970s

John T. Riddle Jr., America's Problem Solver, 1970s

Gradual Troop Withdrawal, by John T. Riddle Jr., 1970

John T. Riddle Jr., Gradual Troop Withdrawal, 1970

Artists/Gallerists

Some artists took the initiative to create exhibition opportunities for themselves and others, becoming essential factors in the growth of Los Angeles’s art scene.
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Viet Nam War Games, by Dale Brockman Davis, 1969

Dale Brockman Davis, Viet Nam War Games, 1969

Triplical Communications, by Suzanne Jackson, 1969

Suzanne Jackson, Triplical Communications, 1969

Post/Minimalism and Performance

Artists who moved beyond the constraints of representational aesthetics to experiment in a multimedia and postminimalist vein expanded existing ideas of what “black art” could be.
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America the Beautiful, by David Hammons, 1968

David Hammons, America the Beautiful, 1968

Bag Lady in Flight, by David Hammons, 1970s

David Hammons, Bag Lady in Flight, 1970s (reconstructed 1990)

Los Angeles Snapshot

Acknowledging the network of supporters who stood behind black artists in L.A. during the 1960s-1970s era of artistic collaboration and political activism.
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School Crossing Guard, by Marie Johnson Calloway, 1970s

Marie Johnson Calloway, School Crossing Guard, 1970s

Faces: Set #4, Stephan W. Walls, by Charles Gaines, 1978

Charles Gaines, FACES: Set #4, Stephan W. Walls, 1978

Falling Leaves #5, by Charles Gaines, 1979

Charles Gaines, Falling Leaves #5, 1979