Set Name: 

guest of honor: julius shulman

Description: 

In my travels to Los Angeles, I came across a collection of vintage photographic prints by world-famous architectural photographer Julius Shulman. The photographer was asked in 1989 by a local real estate broker to curate a show concentrating on the two neighborhoods the broker focused on, Silver Lake and Los Feliz. Shulman selected images for the show, had them printed from the original negatives, mostly in 16x20 inch format, and had them delivered to the broker's office for hanging. Indeed, they graced the walls of that office for almost 15 years, until the broker retired and sold the building. The subjects include well-known work by some of the Los Angeles area's most famous modernist architects, including Schindler, Neutra, Soriano, Lautner, Frank Lloyd Wright and Gregory Ain. But Shulman also included some obscure homes representative of the area's broader architectural styles. The timing of the show is interesting: Shulman had officially retired from taking photographs in 1986, at a time when post-modernism was eclipsing modernism, and Shulman and his subjects were experiencing a period of relatively low recognition. Shulman turned to writing, lecturing and collaborating on shows to publicize the work of the modernists. Of course, modernism has experienced a remarkable resurgence in popularity, and with that, so has Mr. Shulman.

Client: 

personal

Location: 

Los Angeles

Date: 

1936-1986

Project Type: 

guest photographer

about the photographer
Michael K. Wilkinson has been photographing the buildings and neighborhoods of Washington DC for almost fifteen years. In 2001, he established a consulting practice providing marketing support services to architectural design firms and real estate developers, with a concentration in photographing and writing about modern architecture. Beginning in 2004, he began to take commissions outside the Washington area, and has built a small client base in southern California. His travels have taken him across three continents, 19 countries, and 43 U.S. states. His work has been published in Atomic Ranch, the Washington Post, Washington Spaces, DC Style, the Washington Business Journal, Custom Home, the InTowner, the Georgetowner, the Voice of the Hill, Modern San Diego, and in countless newsletters and websites. He has credits on a couple CD covers, too, and has participated in 35 solo or group exhibits in Washington DC, Virginia, Connecticut, and Austria. Michael has lived and worked in Washington DC since 1993. Prior to that, he lived in Brooklyn Heights, Boston, Paris and Connecticut. He has a degree in International Relations from Tufts University. His photography is entirely self-taught.