Artists & Photographers | West Coast Modern League

At Home with Gordon Smith

The force behind design and culture magazine Inventory, Ryan Willms takes a special trip to visit key modernist artist [the late] Gordon Smith, who at nearly 100 years old stays active and makes the most of his verdantly nestled home in West Vancouver's Lighthouse Park. His home, known as the Smith II House, was designed by Arthur Erickson. Directed by Ryan Willms. Presented by Nowness.

Exhibition on Screen: David Hockney RA

Back in 2012, David Hockney filled the Royal Academy with vibrant, large-scale works of his native East Yorkshire, in a "A Bigger Picture." Four years later, Hockney gave us a snapshot of the LA art scene he’d returned to, with "82 Portraits and One Still-Life." Both shows were filmed to create this EXHIBITION ON SCREEN by Seventh Art Productions.

Future Perfect: The Midcentury Modern Paintings of Danny Heller

[11m 17s] Midcentury-modern architecture is back in fashion, but what draws the 20- and 30-somethings? Danny Heller, who paints Palm Springs chic in almost photorealistic fashion, explains the attraction. Lost LA. KCET.

Gohar Dashti’s “Home” Series

Discover the meticulous process of Gohar Dashti and her team, who worked in abandoned homes in Mashhad, Iran, to create the Home series. The scenes of assembled natural materials—plants, soil, flowers—carefully selected for each specific building reflect on the resilience of nature and, ultimately, the meaning and loss of home. “The Home series is a project about the people,” Dashti once explained. “Maybe you cannot see the people, but it’s about the people.”

James Turrell: You Who Look

What is visual perception? James Turrell, the artist who, for over 40 years, has been creating artworks that test our notions of seeing, takes us on a journey through his immersive series of works. Produced by Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Slim Aarons: The High Life

[2016, 1hr 7m] Slim Aarons spent his life documenting jet setters, movie stars and beautiful people doing beautiful things during the 50's, 60's and 70's. In "The High Life," the story behind some of his most fabulous photographs are revealed among white sand beaches, longing palms and relaxed, gorgeous faces. Directed by Fritz Mitchell.

The Proposal

The Proposal follows conceptual artist Jill Magid as she develops a radical project to explore artistic legacy. At its heart is the work of the Pritzker Prize-winning Mexican architect Luis Barragán, which is aggressively “protected” and kept from the public by its copyright holders. Directed by Jill Magid. Oscilloscope Laboratories.

Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Schulman

Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, VISUAL ACOUSTICS celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the world's greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream. Shulman captured the work of nearly every major modern and progressive architect since the 1930s including Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, John Lautner and Frank Gehry. Directed by Eric Bricker. Arthouse Films.

Where the Universe Sings

An intimate portrait of the life and art of Lawren Harris, a founding member of the legendary Group of Seven, and the expansive landscapes that inspired him. Harris has become the most valued artist in Canadian history, with his canvases routinely selling at auction for millions of dollars. Directed and produced by Nancy Lang & Peter Raymont. White Pine Pictures.