As a tribute to beloved L.A. artist Charles Garabedian (who passed away in February 2016) and his life’s work, our current exhibition “Charles Garabedian and his Contemporaries” presents paintings, works on paper and sculptures created by Garabedian over six decades, juxtaposed alongside works by the artists he admired for their conviction, dedication to their practice and
lifetime achievements.

Ed Moses urged him early on to pursue art, while Vija
Celmins was a close friend of Garabedian’s since the ’60s. William Brice was
one of Garabedian’s professors at UCLA, and Tom Wudl became a student of
Garabedian’s while at UCLA. Richard Diebenkorn was also a UCLA colleague, and
when he moved out of his Santa Monica Ocean Park studio (located in a building
occupied by other artists including James Turrell), Garabedian took over his unit,
which shared a common space with Sam Francis. Apart from the studio, Garabedian
fostered lasting friendships with artists of all generations. Sharing a love
for the track, Robert Irwin and Garabedian once co-owned race horses, and Don
Suggs, along with Robert Heinecken, played poker with Garabedian on a regular
basis.

Garabedian highly regarded all the artists in this
exhibition, and although they represent a vast range of methodologies and
movements, each share a distinct link to Southern California, and have
contributed to the thriving environment for art and academia that continues to
reverberate here in Los Angeles, and beyond.

“Charles Garabedian and his Contemporaries” is on view at L.A. Louver through 1 April 2017. More info here.