The rambling and beautiful Ace Gallery is host to a wonderful exhibition that everyone should experience, particularly baby boomers.
It is an exhibition that surveys nearly 40 years in the artistic career of Dennis Hopper, the gifted and accomplished artist and photographer.
If Dennis Hopper were not known because of his famous and infamous life as an actor, screenwriter and director, the show would still be an important retrospective of a Los Angeles artist's portfolio.
The work itself spans and reflects 4 decades of L.A. artistic sensibilities and the wider and more central stylistic and cultural influences that have effected them. Spread throughout numerous rooms is a very wide range of imagery from photographs of Andy Warhol, Ed Ruscha and more artists of the day; actors and bikers all gazing at the camera from the 1960's to more recent and elegant photographs of surfaces abstracted by the elements of time. In a tiny room a video titled "Homeless" follows the life of a street woman who either is, was or fantasizes about being a pole dancer. In the largest rooms are giant paintings based on many of the earliest photos. There is a room devoted to the photo-iconography reminiscent of 60's Madison Avenue marketing propaganda and a very cool, late 50's or early 60's, baby blue automobile in relief. (It must be a Chevy) There is much, much more.
The nature of a survey requires a broader view of a body of work. There is the danger of nostalgia setting in because the pieces selected are so heavily influenced by pop culture. There is also the danger of letting a parallel career in show business diminish Dennis Hopper's accomplishments as a painter and photographer but, when you get past all that, you see the genuine artistry of the person.
A Note To The Boomers: Dennis Hopper is an American icon whose very public life, including years of achievements, faults and faux paus, is the summary blueprint to the hopes, dreams and mistakes of the entire post WWII generation. In this blueprint was a generational belief in the importance and power of creativity. Most of us resigned ourselves to lesser ideals over the years but Dennis Hopper did not. He kept the faith.
Dennis Hopper: A Survey runs from March 30th until July 1st, 2006 at the Ace Gallery, 5514 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA.
For more information call Ace Gallery at 323-935-4411 or visit the Ace Gallery website at
