California Contemporary

“Two dozen custom-designed homes that welcome in sunlight and accentuate gorgeous vistas, and the architect’s thoughts behind them.” —Luxe Interiors + Design The stunning houses of Grant Kirkpatrick and his firm, KAA Design, exemplify why so many of us look to Southern California as the pinnacle of sophisticated modern living. The twenty-four magnificent custom homes featured in this book, modern in style, are built of sensuous materials and sited to make the most of nature, views, and sunlight. This collection of visionary residences, shown in gorgeous photographs and colorful drawings, represents the California Dream, shaped by an architect chosen by celebrities including Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Matt Damon, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, for their personal retreats. Kirkpatrick offers his reflections on these beautiful projects—and the design strategies behind their creation. “Beautiful . . . For anyone who loves contemporary design and architectural masterpieces.” —Library Journal

Performance art is a major contemporary art form and California is recognized internationally as a pivotal area for innovative performance art activity. This updated edition of Performance Anthology offers an extraordinary documentation of California performance art from 1970 through 1989. The anthology provides a chronicle of the literature of artists' publications, art journals, major books, and catalogues; introductions and original essays by artists and leading historians and critics of performance art in California; and photographs illustrating major works by California artists. Through the documentation of the literature, a framework is established of the artists, events, organizations and spaces that have been instrumental in launching and sustaining the performance art scene in California.

Recent archaeological research on California includes a greater diversity of models and approaches to the region’s past, as older literature on the subject struggles to stay relevant. This comprehensive volume offers an in-depth look at the most recent theoretical and empirical developments in the field including key controversies relevant to the Golden State: coastal colonization, impacts of comets and drought cycles, systems of power, Polynesian contacts, and the role of indigenous peoples in the research process, among others. With a specific emphasis on those aspects of California’s past that resonate with the state’s modern cultural identity, the editors and contributors—all leading figures in California archaeology—seek a new understanding of the myth and mystique of the Golden State.

A comprehensive overview of Southern California’s most experimental architecture, showcasing the highly expressive work of famed architects such as Frank Gehry and Thom Mayne, as well as the best of the new guard. This is the first critical examination and history of what was first identified as the "L.A. School" in the 1990s, which has influenced much of American architecture in the last twenty-five years. This expansive new book examines contemporary Southern California architecture from 1987 to the present, exploring its experimental nature, sculptural tendency, and exciting evolution. This volume complements a major exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and is part of the Getty Research Institute exhibition initiative "Los Angeles Architecture, 1940–1990." Contributions by leading architectural historians coupled with a stunning collection of images present recent works in terms of sculpturalism and urbanism, and consider the impact of the history and environment of Los Angeles, as well as the creative and working processes.

A highlight of new work by contemporary artists who are aesthetically and regionally joined in California through a variety of mediums and demographics.