PAID TO PLAY illustrating Los Angeles: 1945 – 1985 opens this Saturday, September 17th!

This album cover was designed by David Willardson, one of the artists featured in the PAID TO PLAY exhibition at The Robert Berman Gallery this Saturday.

PAID TO PLAY illustrating Los Angeles: 1945 – 1985 opens this Saturday, September 17th at the Robert Berman Gallery from 5:00 p.m. til 7:00 p.m. This exhibition features artists who earned their living as illustrators. This was a genre, looked down upon by many in the art field. To be involved in such commercialism was considered "selling out."

However these artists created memorable works that have stood the test of time. Iconic images such as Playboy, Levi´s, the Rolling Stones, along with major studio films such as American Graffiti and Tron. The artists who created these images dealt with fierce competition as well as intense deadlines. Something most artists find that will block creativity. Amongst the chaos, remarkable images were created, and will be forever associated with this generation.

PAID TO PLAY is the first of several exhibitions to appear at The Robert Berman Gallery which fall under the umbrella of Pacific Standard Time. This unprecedented collaboration, initiated by the Getty, brings together more than sixty cultural institutions from across Southern California for six months beginning October 2011 to tell the story of the birth of the L.A. art scene.

PAID TO PLAY is curated by Robert Berman, Dave Willardson & Charles E. White III and celebrates the many overlooked artists who were commissioned to create imagery for profit.

The Robert Berman Gallery is located at Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave. / C2 Gallery Santa Monica, CA 90404. This Saturday, September 17th PAID TO PLAY illustrating Los Angeles: 1945 – 1985 will have its opening reception from 5:00 p.m. til 7:00 p.m. This is a free event.

About Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945 – 1980

Pacific Standard Time is a collaboration of more than sixty cultural institutions across Southern California, coming together for six months beginning in October 2011 to tell the story of the birth of the Los Angeles art scene and how it became a major new force in the art world. Each institution will make its own contribution to this grand-scale story of artistic innovation and social change, told through a multitude of simultaneous exhibitions and programs. Exploring and celebrating the significance of the crucial post-World War II years through the tumultuous period of the 1960s and 70s, Pacific Standard Time encompasses developments from L.A. Pop to post-minimalism; from modernist architecture and design to multi-media installations; from the films of the African American L.A. Rebellion to the feminist activities of the Woman´s Building; from ceramics to Chicano performance art; and from Japanese American design to the pioneering work of artists´ collectives.

Initiated through $10 million in grants from the Getty Foundation, Pacific Standard Time involves cultural institutions of every size and character across Southern California, from Greater Los Angeles to San Diego and Santa Barbara to Palm Springs.