The Cool School

The L.A. art scene post-World War II was a movement waiting to happen. Unlike the well-established New York art world, with its European influence and its network of artists, critics, galleries, and buyers, there was virtually no cohesive L.A. “school” at all before the late 1950s. Morgan Neville's documentary traces the lives of visionaries such as Walter Hopps, co-founder of Ferus Gallery on La Cienega Boulevard, who collected artists working in what might be called a new, prototypically L.A. style. Many of these revolutionaries cite the influence of car culture on their work, from the use of shiny plastics to chrome and neon. They're a ragtag and opinionated bunch, including installation artist and Ferus co-founder Ed Kienholz, Ed Ruscha, Larry Bell, John Altoon, Frank Gehry, and Billy Al Bengston. THE COOL SCHOOL is narrated by Jeff Bridges and features interviews with most of the artists, plus actors Dean Stockwell and Dennis Hopper, both long active in the L.A. art scene. Kicky graphics, color accents, and black and white photography add to the arresting visual style of the film. There's also hilarious archival footage, which helps explain why Angelenos didn't get what was going on with these crazy bongo-playing artists. –BB