West! Frank Gehry and the Artists of Venice Beach, 1962 – 1978

It’s hard to imagine Frank Gehry hitting on the inspiration to design aluminum buildings while living in his chilly home country, Canada. This exhibit credits his crazy idea instead to the fifteen years he spent living in Venice, California. There, Gehry soaked up the sunshine alongside the oddballs and beautiful dreamers who have long distinguished this town from its SoCal neighbors; he also mingled with other artists who called Venice home, including Peter Alexander, John Altoon, and Ed Moses. West! gathers the works of seventeen artists who were part of that endless summer, and who, not coincidentally, favored industrial materials and experimented with the play of light. Paired with photos of Gehry’s architecture, they go a long way toward illuminating how the WeismanÕs own fantastical home was conceived. 333 E. River Rd., Minneapolis; 612-625-9494; www.weisman.umn.edu