Jack Laxer (1927–2018) was an American

photographer A photographer (the Greek language, Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographe ...

best known for his work in

stereoscopy Stereoscopy (also called stereoscopics, or stereo imaging) is a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word ''stereoscopy'' derives . Any stereoscopic image is ...

. His photographs of California modern architecture have been published in magazines and books, displayed in museums, and included in educational programs since the 1950s. He photographed the homes of

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golden ...

and

Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films.Obituary ''Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influential film co ...

with the Stereo Realist camera. His clients included the architects

Paul Revere Williams Paul Revere Williams, FAIA (February 18, 1894 – January 23, 1980) was an American architect based in Los Angeles, California. He practiced mostly in Southern California and designed the homes of numerous celebrities, including Frank Sina ...

William F. Cody William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, Bison hunting, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa, Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but ...

Arthur Froehlich Arthur Froehlich (May 17, 1909 – October 3, 1985), of the firm Arthur Froehlich & Associates, was an architect in Beverly Hills, California, known for his mid-century commercial building designs, especially racetracks. Froehlich's firm ...

, Ladd & Kelsey, and Armet & Davis, best known for their

Googie Googie architecture ( ) is a type of futurist architecture influenced by car culture, jets, the Atomic Age and the Space Age. It originated in Southern California from the Streamline Moderne architecture of the 1930s, and was popular in the U ...

coffee shops. Beginning in 1951 he documented the designs of Louis Armet and

Eldon Davis Eldon Carlyle Davis (February 2, 1917 – April 22, 2011) was an American architect, considered largely responsible for the creation of Googie architecture, a form of modern architecture originating in Southern California. Googie architecture ...

including Norms, Pann's, and the Holiday Bowl. These images were included in Alan Hess's book ''Googie: Fifties Coffee Shop Architecture'', setting off a revival of interest in the style beginning in the 1980s. The Los Angeles Conservancy Modern Committee exhibited Laxer's photography in 1993 in an exhibition about the work of Armet & Davis at the Union Oil Center. In 2001 the group projected them in 3-D at the

California Science Center The California Science Center (sometimes spelled California ScienCenter) is a state agency and museum located in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, next to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the University of Southern California. B ...

. In 2009 DKRM Gallery in Los Angeles exhibited his work in the solo show ''Ultra-Angeles: Kodachrome in 3-D''. Laxer taught a course at the

Getty Museum The J. Paul Getty Museum, commonly referred to as the Getty, is an art museum in Los Angeles, California housed on two campuses: the Getty Center and Getty Villa. The Getty Center is located in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles and fe ...

in 2010 called ''Modernism in 3-D: The Art of Stereo Photography.'' The

Chinese American Museum The Chinese American Museum (Chinese: 華美博物館; abbreviated CAM) is a museum located in Downtown Los Angeles as a part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. It is dedicated to the history and experience of Chinese Americans ...

exhibited his 3D work in specially built viewers as part of their 2012 exhibit Breaking Ground: Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles. The

included Laxer's work (the only stereo photos) in the exhibit and publication ''Overdrive: L.A. Constructs The Future'', which ran as part of the museum's ''Pacific Standard Time'' series before relocating to the

National Building Museum The National Building Museum is located at 401 F Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is a museum of "architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning". It was created by an act of Congress in 1980, and is a private Non-profit org ...

in Washington, D.C. in October 2013. The

Los Angeles Conservancy The Los Angeles Conservancy is a historic preservation organization in Los Angeles, California. It works to document, rescue and revitalize historic buildings, places and neighborhoods in the city. The Conservancy is the largest membership based ...

presented Laxer with the Modern Master award in 2009. He died on June 12, 2018, at the age of 91.Jack Laxer, Photographer of Googie Architecture, Dies at 91
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laxer, Jack 1927 births 2018 deaths American photographers