Rex Evans Gallery Records, 1960-1973

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Summary

Creators:
Rex Evans Gallery
Abstract:
The Rex Evans Gallery opened as a partnership by Rex Evans and Jim Weatherford in Los Angeles (1960). The gallery primarily featured works in smaller media of drawings and water-colors. The gallery closed in 1972. The collection documents the La Cienega art scene and the artists whose work was featured at the Rex Evans Gallery. The collection consists of more than 650 photographs and negatives of works sold or shown at the gallery, printed announcements of shows, clippings of reviews, and correspondence with various galleries, scholars, and patrons related to the identification, authentication, and pricing of art.
Extent:
9 boxes (4.5 linear ft.)
Language:
English.

Background

Scope and content:

Collection documents the La Cienega art scene in Los Angeles, California, and the artists whose work was featured at the Rex Evans Gallery. Includes more than 650 photographs and negatives of works sold or shown at the gallery, printed announcements of shows, and clippings of reviews. Also contains correspondence with various galleries, scholars, and patrons related to the identification, authentication, and pricing of art. Artists whose works were at the gallery include Don Bachardy, William Dole, Louis Fox, Hardy Hanson, Barbara Poe, Marie-Anne Poniatowska, and Sheila Ross.

Expanded Scope and Content

The Rex Evans Gallery was located at 748½ North La Cienega Boulevard. It was opened in 1960 as a partnership, by Rex Evans and Jim Weatherford, and closed in 1972, three years after the death of Rex Evans. The career of the gallery spanned the most vital and creative years of La Cienega galleries.

Esther Robles was the first to open a gallery on La Cienega. Felix Landau relocated there from Melrose Avenue. By the time the two partners decided to open a gallery, they had decided La Cienega would be the place. During the years of the gallery, La Cienega became a Los Angeles cultural highlight--mentioned even in national publications, because of the Monday night “art walks.” The Gallery papers contain clippings and other items of historical interest about this cultural aspect of Los Angeles. Also during these years Los Angeles was striving --through the galleries and collectors and the opening of the relocated County Art Museum -- to break loose from the cultural dominance of the East. Items pertaining to this effort are scattered throughout the collection, in the form of clippings, letters and even telegrams.

Through its showing of a very special kind of art, the Rex Evans Gallery was one of the tastemakers of the period. William Wilson wrote: “The experience of Rex Evans was primarily reassuring of a cool place to go and find that a certain kind of art was not being forgotten.” That kind of art, mainly works in the “smaller” media (drawings, water-colors) is documented in this collection by more than 650 photographs and negatives of works sold or shown. There is significant correspondence with other galleries, with scholars and with individuals concerning identification, authentication, provenance, pricing.

Among the gallery's stable of artists were many of the finest painters and draftsmen in Southern California: Don Bachardy, William Dole, Louis Fox, Hardy Hanson, Barbara Foe, Marie-Anne Poniatowska, Sheila Ross and others. These gallery artists are represented in the collection with photographs of their works, printed announcements of their shows (often illustrated), clippings of reviews and correspondence. Other artists who were given one-man shows include several important 20th century artists: Baskin, Nadelman, Nolan, Tchelitchew.

Biographical / historical:

Gallery opened as a partnership by Rex Evans and Jim Weatherford at 748 1/2 North La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles in 1960; during the gallery's years of operation, La Cienega Blvd. became an art center, known for Monday night art walks; the gallery primarily featured works in smaller media of drawings and water-colors; Evans died in 1969, and the gallery closed in 1972.

Acquisition information:
Gift of James S. Weatherford, 1974 and 1983.
Arrangement:

Arranged in the following series:

  • General business files (Box 1, folders 1-5).
  • Gallery history (Box 1, folders 6-9).
  • Group shows (Box 1, folders 10-12).
  • One-man shows not of gallery artists (Box 1, folders 13-18).
  • One-man shows - Gallery artist files (Boxes 2-5).
  • Miscellaneous files (Boxes 6-8).
  • Photographs and negatives (work not of gallery artists) (Box 9).

Physical location:
Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.

Access and use

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
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