Join SAH/SCC for a walk-through of the exhibition “After Modernism: Through the Lens of Wayne Thom” with the photographer himself at the USC Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena (Marsten, Van Pelt, and Maybury, 1924).
Thom (b. 1933) is one of the leading architectural photographers of our time. During the course of his career—which stretched from around 1968 to 2015—he photographed more than 2,600 projects across the Western United States, Hawaii, and Southeast Asia. He was especially prolific in Southern California, where he based his practice, and where he became the preferred photographer for the region’s leading firms.
The exhibition showcases photographs from USC Libraries’ Wayne Thom Photography Collection, which holds more than 250,000 images. Thousands of pages of other material are included in the archives, which the university acquired in 2015. The exhibition also features a digital interactive component that allows visitors to explore materials in the collection. Titled “Wayne Thom 50/50” in reference to 50 standout projects completed during his 50-year career, the interactive component emphasizes his breadth of practice that stretches beyond the late modern period.
The museum’s historic building has served as a center for art, culture, and learning in Pasadena since its opening in 1925 by pioneering collector and entrepreneur Grace Nicholson (1877-1948) as her residence, galleries, and curio emporium. Nicholson’s championing of Asian art early in the century set the tone for much of the Pasadena community’s arts-related activities during the ensuing decades.
The event includes admission to the museum, so feel free to relax and enjoy the other exhibitions. This event is limited to a small group, due to space considerations.
You can prepare by watching the Zoom presentation by Emily Bills on her book Wayne Thom: Photographing the Late Modern (The Monacelli Press, 2020).
“After Modernism” Exhibition Tour—Saturday, January 21, 2023; 11 AM to 12:30 PM; USC Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena; $20 for SAH/SCC members; $25 for non-members; go to www.sahscc.org and pay via PayPal.
