LOS ANGELES — There’s no fine artist that evokes Los Angeles like John Baldessari. An American conceptual artist, Baldessari passed away on January 2, 2020 at the age of 88.

Ed Schad is a Curator and Publications Manager at The Broad in Downtown Los Angeles where they’ve collected over 40 of Baldessari’s artworks.

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“So this painting is by John Baldessari. It's one of Baldessari’s most famous works,” said Schad. “One of the things I like the most about it is that John Baldessari never touched this piece. He actually had a sign painter paint this piece. He also found this content. These words come from a trade magazine.”

And that’s part of the magic and allure of Baldessari’s work, who’s just as famous for being a teacher as he was a fine artist.

“These were tips for artists to determine the content of their work, what they should be painting,” explained Schad.

 

 

 

The tips are meant to be satirical and the painting can only be seen through the windows into the vault coming up the stairs inside the museum.

Originally from Texas, Schad has lived in L.A. for 13 years and he’s worked for the Broads most of his career. He started as an intern and now curates solo exhibits. He loves contemporary art because it’s difficult and for Schad, Baldessari is quintessential L.A. 

“This work is from 1987,” said Schad. “It’s called ‘Horizontal Women’ and this is indicative of a way of working that Baldassari had where he would dive into this vast archive that he had taken from films and newspapers, all manner of media that he built over the course of decades, taking out images from that archive and reassembling them into collages.”

Famous for his work featuring appropriated images and found photography, Baldesarri drew inspiration from popular culture. He incorporated text and juxtaposed images that contradicted context and challenged form.

“Baldessari is central to the experience that is Los Angeles, has lived in this city for decades,” said Schad. “He's often synonymous with Los Angeles art and it's wonderful to experience Los Angeles coming into Baldissari’s art. When you view his work over the course of many many years, you get to know L.A.”

He taught at CalArts and UCLA, but perhaps Baldessari’s greatest legacy is influencing a future generation of artists.