John Altoon art work and papers, [ca.1940-1969]

Altoon, John, b. 1925 d. 1969
Painter
Calif.

Collection size: 1.4 linear ft.

Collection Summary: Over 300 pencil and pencil and ink drawings (ca. 1950s-1960s), mostly contained in sketchbooks and tablets, as well as numerous loose sketches and several mixed-media works on board. Also found are Altoon's letters and a ship's log dating from his years of WWII Navy service in the Pacific.

Biographical/Historical Note: Painter; Los Angeles, Calif.; b. 1925, d. 1969 Altoon (born Altoonian), was a major figure in the Los Angeles art scene from the 1950s until his death from a heart attack in 1969. He began painting in the abstract-expressionist style, but by the mid-1960s his works turned to the figure, characterized by skillful draftsmanship and sexual imagery.

Donated 1998 by Roberta L. Thompson, John Altoon's widow.

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