John Altoon (November 5, 1925 – February 8, 1969) was an American artist. Born in Los Angeles to immigrant
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
parents, from 1947 to 1949 he attended the
Otis Art Institute
Otis College of Art and Design is a private art and design school in Los Angeles, California. Established in 1918, it was the city's first independent professional school of art. The main campus is located in the former IBM Aerospace headquarte ...
, from 1947 to 1950 he also attended the
Art Center College of Design
Art Center College of Design (stylized as ArtCenter College of Design) is a private art college in Pasadena, California.
History
ArtCenter College of Design was founded in 1930 in downtown Los Angeles as the Art Center School.
In 1935, Fred R. ...
in Los Angeles, and in 1950 the
Chouinard Art Institute
The Chouinard Art Institute was a professional art school founded in 1921 by Nelbert Murphy Chouinard (1879–1969) in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. In 1961, Walt and Roy Disney guided the merger of the Chouinard Art In ...
. Altoon was a prominent figure in the LA art scene in the 1950s and 1960s. Exhibitions of his work have been held at the
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (or MCASD), in San Diego, California, US, is an art museum focused on the collection, preservation, exhibition, and interpretation of works of art from 1950 to the present.
Mission
The stated mission of ...
, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, Corcoran Gallery, Washington D.C, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, The Baxter Museum, Pasadena, and The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (opened June 2014).
Work
Altoon's work was influenced by the
Abstract Expressionism Movement although he is best known for his figurative drawings of the 1960s, with as Leah Ollman describes "a vocabulary of vaguely figurative, botanical and biological forms that he pursued until his death."
He was part of the "Ferus group" of artists so called for their association to the
Ferus Gallery
The Ferus Gallery was a contemporary art gallery which operated from 1957 to 1966. In 1957, the gallery was located at 736-A North La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. In 1958, it was relocated across the street to 723 North La Cienega ...
that operated in Los Angeles in 1957–1966.
Some of the other artists included in this group are Edward Kienholz, Larry Bell, Robert Irwin, Billy Al Bengston.
''Cool School'' documentary film about Altoon and other Ferus Gallery artists, many Ferus artists say John was the most fun and friendliest of all, every where everyone liked him. He could charm anyone.
Altoon, during his
Ferus Gallery
The Ferus Gallery was a contemporary art gallery which operated from 1957 to 1966. In 1957, the gallery was located at 736-A North La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. In 1958, it was relocated across the street to 723 North La Cienega ...
years, did the Ocean Park series which depicted an area around Venice and Santa Monica beach towns in California. The series was 18 paintings as well some works he did on paper. It had the direct from brain to hand & brush approach he was known for: the abstracting of nature on his canvas by pushing through a spontaneous approach, freehand biomorphic
[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/biomorphic] in design giving us his interpretation as a direct rendering of the coastal surroundings.
Mental health
Leah Ollman describes his life a 1999 article in ''
Art in America
''Art in America'' is an illustrated monthly, international magazine concentrating on the contemporary art world in the United States, including profiles of artists and genres, updates about art movements, show reviews and event schedules. It i ...
'',
"With his outsized personality and reckless intensity, John Altoon loomed large in the L.A. art scene of the '50s and '60s.
Altoon was diagnosed with schizophrenia in his late 30s and had bouts of depression and paranoia. In the early 1960s he became a patient of Dr. Milton Wexler a prominent psychoanalyst who restored his ability to work and from then until his death became the most productive and stable years in his life.
He was "possessed by real demons,"
Larry Bell remembers.
Irving Blum, partner in the
Ferus Gallery
The Ferus Gallery was a contemporary art gallery which operated from 1957 to 1966. In 1957, the gallery was located at 736-A North La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. In 1958, it was relocated across the street to 723 North La Cienega ...
, recalls: "If the gallery was closest in spirit to a single person, that person was John Altoon—dearly loved, defiant, romantic, highly ambitious—and slightly mad."
Altoon's struggle with mental illness, his big, dark, robust personality and his early death from a heart attack at 44 have, even more than his art itself, come to define his legacy."
Personal life
John Altoon was married to the actress
Fay Spain
Lona Fay Spain (October 6, 1932 – May 8, 1983) was an American actress in motion pictures and television.
Early years
Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Fay Spain was the younger of two daughters born to Robert C. Spain and Arminta Frances "Mick ...
from 1959 to 1962. He was married to Roberta ("Babs") Lunine
from 1966 until his death in 1969.
See also
*
The Cool School (2008 film)
Notes
External links
Ollman Art in AmericaAltoon at AskArt* http://www.beatmuseum.org/altoon/johnaltoon.html
John Altoon in the National Gallery of Australia's Kenneth Tyler CollectionJohn Altoon art work and papers, (ca.1940–1969)from the Smithsonian
Archives of American Art
The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 20 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washingt ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Altoon, John
20th-century American painters
American male painters
Abstract expressionist artists
American abstract artists
American contemporary painters
Modern painters
1925 births
1969 deaths
Artists from Los Angeles
Painters from California
Chouinard Art Institute alumni
Otis College of Art and Design alumni
American people of Armenian descent
Ethnic Armenian painters
People with schizophrenia
20th-century American male artists