Text by David Hickey

This fully illustrated catalogue was published on the occasion of the critically acclaimed 2010 group exhibition Primary Atmospheres: Works from California 1960–1970 at David Zwirner in New York. The exhibition presented to the New York public a long-overdue survey of the particular kind of minimal work that was made in and around Los Angeles during that decade, work which differentiated itself in its emphasis on surface, synthetic materials, industrial processes, and perception. Often referred to under the umbrella term “Light and Space,” the artists and artwork included in this exhibition and catalogue present a more inclusive overview of the ground-breaking and diverse art practices that flourished in California in the 1960s, including rarely seen works by Peter Alexander, Larry Bell, Laddie John Dill, Robert Irwin, Craig Kauffman, John McCracken, Helen Pashgian, James Turrell, De Wain Valentine, and Doug Wheeler.