Today's mosaics were constructed in Italy and have sat at 7th and Figueroa in Los Angeles since 1989. Their building was once a Home Savings and Loan tower, andthese mosaics were done by artist Joyce Kozloff.
Kozloff lived in Los Angeles in the early 1970s and formed a group that protested the lack of women artists at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Yay! Because--although I am not an artist--I do remember the days when women were treated as second-rate in almost any venue. It was nasty back then, an affront to common sense.
Anyway, Kozloff was also part of the Pattern and Decoration movement, and I think these mosaics reflect that. Not that I know anything about that movement, really, but you can read Kozloff's own statement about the movement, and her artistic sentiments, on her website, which is where I found the top picture. It's titled Gardens of Villandry, and is actually much bigger--this is just the top part. It faces Figueroa.
The other mosaic, at right facing 7th, has an odd red tint but it really brings out the color of the glass. This one is called Gardens at Chernonceaux. I recommend going to the FineArtServices website to see more pictures, not only of the mosaics but of beautiful murals inside the building by different artists.
Both the garden mosaics reflect the layout of 16th century gardens in the Loire Valley in France.
Besides these works, titled Kozloff also produced the mosiacs "The Movies: Fantasies and Spectacles" a few year later for the Metro Station at 7th and Flower. Future post on that.
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