The Life and Art of John Altoon
Born in Los Angeles, United States, to immigrant Armenian parents, John Altoon was a prominent figure in the Los Angeles art scene during the 1950s and 1960s. He studied at the Otis Art Institute, the Art Center College of Design, and the Chouinard Art Institute. As a painter and printmaker, his work was influenced by the Abstract Expressionism movement. He was a member of the Ferus group, a collection of artists associated with the Ferus Gallery, which included figures such as Edward Kienholz, Larry Bell, Robert Irwin, and Billy Al Bengston.
Altoon's artistic output included the Ocean Park series, which consisted of 18 paintings and several works on paper depicting the area around the California beach towns of Venice and Santa Monica. This series utilized a spontaneous, freehand biomorphic approach to abstract nature, characterized by a direct rendering of coastal surroundings. In his later years, he became known for figurative drawings featuring a vocabulary of vaguely figurative, botanical, and biological forms.
Legacy and Personal History
Throughout his career, Altoon's work was exhibited at various institutions, including:
Altoon was married to the actress Fay Spain from 1959 to 1962, and later to Roberta ("Babs") Lunine from 1966 until his death. His life was marked by a struggle with mental illness, including schizophrenia, depression, and paranoia. Following treatment by psychoanalyst Dr. Milton Wexler in the early 1960s, he entered his most productive and stable period. He passed away in Los Angeles from a heart attack.
