Robert Graham Sculptures

I remember these sculptures from a field trip to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum when I was a kid. Even then, as a youth, I could see the quiet strength in the towering figures that were not quite like anything I'd seen before. Then again, Los Angeles was not quite like anything I had seen before. But the field trips were meant to inspire and offer a glimpse into some of the larger attractions and metropolitan sights.

The coliseum itself is something to behold as it is not quite a stadium or arena. After walking around inside the coliseum our group again walked past the entrance as part of our tour. As we approached the statues which, from some angles, appear to be standing directly above the entrance I remember that they just seemed so lifelike and communicated strength, and after looking a bit closer one could tell that one was male and one was female. Just a very iconic and strong image associated with the area, very unique to Los Angeles in regards to art and image.

I only recently discovered that such iconic figures are actually the work of sculptor Robert Graham. I had only known of Graham as he was mentioned as the husband of Anjelica Huston in publications. It was like "Anjelica Huston is married to Robert Graham." Apparently, he was famous in his own right, but not necessarily an actor; and most of his success was before these sculptures were created to commemorate the 1984 Olympics hosted by Los Angeles. Much of Graham's work is realistic and lifelike, and it is somewhat shocking that he had not received more acclaim.

Another thing that I find notable about Graham was the fact the he worked from a studio in Venice, CA. This is particularly interesting to me because when I've visited Venice in recent years I wonder about the artists. The city has a well-known history of artists and its bohemian culture, which has been somewhat evident on the Venice Boardwalk. But in recent years Venice has been all Range Rovers and Mini Coopers, and $10 Sno Cones. I just don't see how people (artistic, ethnic, etc.) can afford to live as artists anymore. Afterall, it was this same eclecticism and bohemianism that made Venice Beach so unique and appealing.










Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive. Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA 

Images: Calisphere.org