Paul Outerbridge, 1896-1958, was a darling of the East Coast art scene, having honed his skills during his years as a fashion and commercial photographer. Two Los Angeles-area exhibitions are putting renewed focus on his work, particularly his late-career California projects. Paul Outerbridge: New Color Photographs opens March 28 at the Central Library, while the Getty Center is exhibiting Paul Outerbridge: Command Performance beginning March 31. His gift for composition marks “Images de Deauville” (1936). (Museum of Modern Art / The J. Paul Getty Museum)
The artist was known for his careful composition and highly saturated colors, the result of the tri-carbro-color process. The technique was laborious and a print could take more than nine hours to produce as Outerbridge worked to develop and meticulously align three exposures of the same image. From 1936: “Girl With Fan.” (Museum of Modern Art / The J. Paul Getty Museum)
“The Triumph of the Egg” (1932), a gelatin silver print. (The Manfred Heiting Collection / The J. Paul Getty Museum)
“The Dragon Flys Wing” (1922). (The Wilson Centre for Photography / The J. Paul Getty Museum)
