By Olivia Gauthier – HyperAllergic.com – Image: © Carlos Almaraz Estate and photo courtesy the Collection of Cheech Marin.
Image: Carlos Almaraz, “Sunset Crash” (1982) courtesy of the Cheech Marin Collection.
Los Angeles, California — Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire, curated by Howard N. Fox and currently on view at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, is the artist’s first major survey of paintings from his brief but productive studio practice. Almaraz was one of the most influential Los Angeles artists of the 1970s and 1980s, and is most widely known for his work as an activist and muralist in East LA, and as a member of the collective Los Four. The exhibition is part of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA an initiative exploring Latin American and Latino art in dialogue with Los Angeles. This major retrospective is a worthy addition to the initiative, since it focuses on the less examined but rich painting practice Almaraz pursued upon leaving making murals.
