Breaking Ground: Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles, 1945-1980

(January 19, 2012 – June 3, 2012)

This exhibit showcased the achievements of four pioneering Chinese American architects whose contributions were critical to the development of Los Angeles’ urban and visual landscape between 1945 and 1980. The exhibit focused on the lives and work of Eugene Kinn Choy, Gilbert L. Leong, Helen Liu Fong, and Gin D. Wong, FAIA, four architects who played pivotal roles in the development of Mid-Century Modern and Googie Architecture movements, unique to California’s Post-War architectural renaissance. Breaking Ground was part of Pacific Standard Time. This unprecedented collaboration, initiated by The Getty Foundation, brought together more than sixty cultural institutions from across Southern California for six months to tell the story of the birth of the L.A. art scene.

Choy Residence Exterior, Backyard Patio. © J. Paul Getty Trust. Used with permission. Julius Shulman Photography Archive, Research Library at the Getty Research Institute (2004.R.10)