Getty Research Institute Highlights Jerry McMillan’s Archive Documenting Mid-Century Los Angeles Art Scene
Jerry McMillan died in February at his home in Pasadena at the age of 89. The Getty Research Institute acquired his archive in 2015, which consists of approximately 7,000 negatives, 150 contact sheets, and 375 prints along with ephemera. McMillan arrived in Los Angeles in 1957 with Ed Ruscha and Joe Goode and produced photographs documenting the local art scene from the 1960s onward, including images from the 1961 War Babies exhibition and portraits of artists such as Judy Chicago and Ken Price.
The Signal
McMillan’s archive provides one of the most intimate records of mid-century Los Angeles art life and reveals a more diverse community than official accounts often show. His collaborative approach with subjects established him as the photographer artists turned to for defining images, and the collection underscores the role of personal networks in shaping the city’s art world from the Chouinard era through the 1970s.
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- Artists: Jerry McMillan, Ed Ruscha, Joe Goode, Judy Chicago, Ken Price
- People: Ed Bereal, Larry Bell, Ron Miyashiro, Billy Al Bengston, Robert Irwin, James Turrell, Maren Hassinger, Barbara T. Smith
- Galleries: Craig Krull Gallery
- Museums: Getty Research Institute, J. Paul Getty Trust, Pasadena Art Museum
- Locations: Los Angeles, Pasadena
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