Library of Congress' a new photography exhibition “L.A. Murals,”documents murals painted on the streets of Los Angeles

#LibraryOfCongress; #L.A.Murals; #NewPhotographyExhibition; #LosAngeles

Washington, Nov 16 (Canadian-Media): “L.A. Murals,” a new photography exhibition from the Library of Congress (LoC), documents murals painted on the streets of Los Angeles, LoC reports said.

L.A. Murals: Courtesy of Library of Congress

LoC, the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office, is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States and from around the world both on-site and online. 

The exhibition, which went on view in Los Angeles in September and will close in September 2020, is free and open to visitors of the The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall in the Library of Congress Ira Gershwin Gallery, which was made possible by a generous gift from the Ira and Leonore Gershwin Trust for the benefit of the LoC.

The photographs displayed were created between 1997 and 2016, recording the work of recognized artists, as well as those whose paintings were created as signage, commercial art, homages and memorials.

​“Los Angeles is home to a flourishing artistic community with a number of highly talented street artists and muralists whose work portrays the many cultures of our vibrant county and provides a vibrant backdrop to our daily lives,” said Rachel Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. “The Music Center is thrilled to be able to provide a platform that highlights this artform and the many murals that are part of the fabric of LA.”

“L.A. Murals” features 30 photographs curated from the archives of photographers Carol M. Highsmith and Camilo José Vergara, which are part of the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division of more than 14 million photographs documenting America. The focus of the exhibition was inspired by the vitality of the visual arts and creativity of LA. Library curators organized the exhibit.

“Our national library holds an incredible collection of more than 14 million photographs documenting our culture, including the creativity and diversity of Los Angeles,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. “We are so pleased to showcase part of this collection in the new photography exhibition, ‘L.A. Murals,’ at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.”

Among the thousands of photographs in their archives, over 100 photographs were created by Highsmith and Vergara.

Other works from both photographers also were featured in a 2018 exhibition of photographs from the LoC at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles.
  
A wide variety of images, including religious icons, a memorial honoring a victim of gun violence, city storefronts and businesses, and heroic figures, such as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. along with Kobe Bryant and James Worthy of the LA Lakers, are depicted by the murals.