Syndell Studio was an

art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The lon ...

located in the Brentwood neighborhood of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California, between 1954 and 1956.

History

Syndell Studio was founded in 1954 by

Walter Hopps Walter "Chico" Hopps (May 3, 1932 – March 20, 2005) was an American museum director, gallerist, and curator of contemporary art. Hopps helped bring Los Angeles post-war artists to prominence during the 1960s, and later went on to redefine pract ...

and

Jim Newman James Newman may refer to: * James Newman (actor) (born 1992), American actor * James Newman (singer), English singer-songwriter * James C. Newman, American engineer and materials scientist * James H. Newman (born 1956), American astronaut * James ...

, with Michael Scoles, poet Ben Bartosh and his wife Betty Brunt. It was located at 11756 Gorham Avenue, Brentwood, in a (no longer extant) building constructed from used pier pilings and remnants from a demolished

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

beach club. According to oral history interviews with Hopps, Newman, and artist

Edward Kienholz Edward Ralph Kienholz (October 23, 1927 – June 10, 1994) was an American Installation art, installation artist and assemblage (art), assemblage sculpture, sculptor whose work was highly critical of aspects of modern life. From 1972 onwards, he ...

, the gallery was named after Maurice Sindel, a Midwestern farmer who died on the highway in Ohio on 6 June 1953. The accident was witnessed by Newman as he drove from Oberlin to Los Angeles. Hopps stated, "It's just too absurd, that this man dies in obscurity. We're going to make him an artist. We're going to create work for him. We're going to put him in group shows. We're going to name our place after him, as though it had been his studio". Between 1955 and 1956, Shirley Neilsen Hopps was involved with the last years of the gallery. The gallery's business cards were created by poet and printmaker Robert Alexander. Alexander and

Wallace Berman Wallace "Wally" Berman (February 18, 1926 – February 18, 1976) was an American experimental filmmaker, assemblage, and collage artist and a crucial figure in the history of post-war California art. Personal life and education Wallace Berman ...

designed invitations to exhibitions.

Exhibitions

On 21 October 1956, ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' art critic

Jules Langsner Jules Langsner (19111967) was an American art critic and psychiatrist. Born in New York City in 1911 and died in 1967 in California. Although born in New York, Langsner did not grow up in New York. He and his family moved to Ontario, California sh ...

wrote, "For a glimpse of avant-garde art in Los Angeles, the place to go is Syndell Studios". Exhibitions held at Syndell Studio included: * Children's Art from Southern California Nursery Schools, August–September 1955 *

wooden constructions * Arthur Richer paintings, 1956 *

Sonia Gechtoff Sonia Gechtoff (September 25, 1926 – February 1, 2018) was an American abstract expressionist painter. Her primary medium was painting but she also created drawings and prints. Early life and education Sonia Gechtoff was born in Philadelphia t ...

, 1956 In 1955 Syndell Studio co-organised with Gallery 6, San Francisco, the exhibition ''Action'' of abstract painting, which was held at the merry-go-round building on

Santa Monica Pier The Santa Monica Pier is a large double-jointed pier at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California, United States. It contains a small amusement park, concession stands, and areas for views and fishing. Attractions Pacific Park Th ...

. Syndell also co-organised the follow-up ''Action2'' (''Action Squared'') exhibition, held in 1956 at Edward Kienholz's

Now Gallery Now Gallery was a New York City art gallery based in East Village, Manhattan, active from 1983 - 1989. It was a cultural concept of artist and art curator Jacek Tylicki. Co-operating with Fashion Moda in the Bronx and along with the Fun Gallery, N ...

. In 1956, Syndell Studio was featured in the Los Angeles All-City Outdoor Art Festival at

Barnsdall Park Barnsdall Art Park is a city park located in the East Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. Parking and arts buildings access is from Hollywood Boulevard on the north side of the park. The park is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument ...

References

External links

Archives of American Art Oral history interview with James Newman, 1974 May 13
{{coord, 34.053, -118.467, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-CA, display=title Art museums and galleries in Los Angeles Art galleries established in 1954 Contemporary art galleries in the United States Beat Generation Defunct art museums and galleries in California 1954 establishments in California