Taking place October 2011 through April 2012, Pacific Standard Time is a collaboration of 50 cultural institutions across Southern California to tell the story of the birth of the Los Angeles art scene and how it became a major new force in the art world. Each institution will make its own contribution to this grand-scale story of artistic innovation and social change, told through a multitude of simultaneous exhibitions and programs. Pacific Standard Time is an initiative of the Getty with presenting sponsor Bank of America. For a complete list of participants throught Los Angeles, click here.

Proof: The Rise of Printmaking in Southern California

Norton Simon Museum

October 1, 2011 – April 2, 2012

The first goal enumerated upon the founding of the Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles in 1960 was to “create a pool of master artisan-printers in the United States” in an effort to revive the method of fine art lithography. With those words, and the dedication to create a workshop that would educate printers, artists, curators and collectors alike, Tamarind sparked a renaissance in the graphic arts. Proof explores the significance of printmaking and its new possibilities as first re-envisioned in post-war Southern California.

46 N. Los Robles: A History of the Pasadena Art Museum

Pacific Asia Museum

November 18, 2011 – April 8, 2012

This exhibition explores the history of the Pasadena Art Museum during a time when America’s cultural life was changing dramatically. During this period, the Pasadena Art Museum pioneered groundbreaking exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, much of which has not been seen in Southern California since.

L.A. RAW: Abject Expressionism in Los Angeles 1945-1980,

From Rico Lebrun to Paul McCarthy

Pasadena Museum of California Art

January 22, 2012 - May 20, 2012

The figurative artists from the 1940s and ‘50s who dominated the Los Angeles art scene of that time have largely been written out of today’s art history.  This exhibition provides a much needed reference for the study of post-war American figurative art, placing the works in a historical context and examining the pivotal role played by these Los Angeles artists.