Reading California

This companion volume to the exhibition "Made in California: Art, Image and Identity, 1900-2000" at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art offers in-depth, illustrated essays on the making of California culture in the 20th century. Written by stellar cast of historians and scholars in the humanities, the essays look closely at the forces that shaped fine art and material culture in California. The contributors weave their subjects around themes that are central to the milestone exhibition: the California landscape - both the natural and built environments - and the state's cultural and political relationships with Latin America and Asia. These essays cover topics such as counterculture architecture, Watts Towers, border culture, identity and gender issues, the role of schools in California art, auto tourism, Hollywood, music, Beat culture, politics, literature, photography, and much more. Accessibly written and intellectually engaging, these essays should sharpen our understanding of California in the 20th century and bring together many diverse, yet interrelated aspects of its art and culture.