California Highs, California Lows Program 4

The Cool School traces the emergence of Los Angeles’ artistic avant-garde during the mid-20th century. Artists such as Ed Ruscha, John Baldessari, and Frank Gehry were inspired by their surroundings in downtown L.A. At the epicenter of the scene were Walter Hopps and Irving Blum, whose Ferus Gallery became the hub for the group of artists. Mirroring the development of the now-renowned mid-century Los Angeles aesthetic, the documentary’s predominantly black-and-white filming gives way to color toward the end and produces a picture that is bright, innovative, and vibrantly modern. Preceded by two episodes of Bucky.