John Divola
October 25, 2011
N34º09.948’W15º47.952′, 1995
C-print
Purchased: Acquisition funds, 2005
Fascinated by the ‘unattainable desire’ intrinsic to art, John Divola, a critically acclaimed photographer, finds beauty in isolated homes and other subjects reminiscent of his youth in the San Fernando Valley. He received his BA in 1971 at California State University, Northridge, and his MA from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1973. It was during this time that Divola began to focus on photography, his reason being that “all painting and sculpture and performance was, from a practical point of view, made to be photographed”.
His first major breakthrough was in 1979, with Zuma. Divola photographed a dilapidated beachside home that both graffiti artists and the local fire department used for training. Since then Divola has had over 60 solo exhibitions, earning him numerous awards, including a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship. In 1998, he became a professor at the University of California Riverside, teaching contemporary art.
N34º11.185’W116º06.725’V2, 1995
C-print
Purchased: Acquisition funds, 2005
A – Cyclone, 1987
Dye transfer photo
Gift: Taco Bell®, 2010
B- House, 1986
Dye transfer photo
Gift: Taco Bell®, 2010
D – Flying/Falling, 1984
Dye transfer photo
Gift: Taco Bell®, 2010
This fall, John Divola’s work will be surveyed in the comprehensive exhibit, As Far As I Could Get. The show will be held simultaneously at three different institutions:
September 3- December 22 at the Pomona College Museum of Art
October 6- July 6, 2014 at LACMA
October 13- January 12, 2014 at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art
