Last year, Deal's photographs were exhibited as part of the festivities surrounding the Getty's opening. Now St. Louis audiences will have a chance to view Deal's work firsthand when "The Getty Center: Photographs by Joe Deal, Models by Richard Meier" arrives at the University's Gallery of Art. The show opens with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Jan. 22, and remains on view through March 21.
An untitled photograph from Joe Deal's
The Getty first offered Deal a commission to photograph the evolution of the new center back in 1983, even before an architect had been chosen.
Deal, who was then teaching at the University of California-Riverside, admits that at first, reluctant to be tied to one place for the eight or nine years the project was estimated to take, he hesitated to accept the Getty project. "I'm not really an architectural photographer and I wasn't very interested in trying to interpret someone else's work," Deal recalled. "On the other hand, it was an intriguing proposal -- an opportunity to photograph an undeveloped property that was, ironically, located in one of the country's most expensive and highly developed areas. It was an island of scarred mountainside surrounded by a carefully constructed landscape of swimming pools, flowering trees and tile rooftops."
Deal spent the next six years documenting both the existing site and the numerous preparations for construction. Though his work stopped when he joined the Washington University faculty in 1989, it resumed in 1992, when he began making periodic trips to Los Angeles as his schedule allowed.
The solo show also includes some of Meier's scale models for the project. "The models are really beautifully crafted," Deal said. "Hopefully the show will be engaging for those interested in photography and for those interested in the building process and architectural problem-solving."
Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 1 to 5 p.m. weekends. Both the reception and the exhibit are free and open to the public.
Deal Joe, Deal Joe
May 7 2006, 17:31
Amateur+ 
Administration 