• Los Angeles is known the world over for its collection of stars, directors and movie moguls that bring entertainment to the masses. There is, however, another collection of artists in the area--painters. From Chicano mural painters to neo-expressionists, Los Angeles has always had a very active and talented artistic scene. This was never more true than during the 1970s revival of painting that brought many LA landmarks, such as Venice Beach, their greatest fame.
  
  

Sam Francis

• Sam Francis was a student at Berkley who served in the United States Air Force during World War II. Francis was injured in a plane crash and began painting while he recovered. After spending time in Paris and Japan, he returned to Los Angeles to finish out the last three decades of his career before passing away in 1994.
  
  

Mary Corse

• Mary Corse began painting in high school in Berkley in the 1960s and continued her career in the Los Angeles area throughout the 1970s and '80s. She is most famous for works involving light, including her White Light and Black Light paintings.
  
  

Robert Irwin

• Now best known as an installation artist, Robert Irwin got his start in painting. Through his career he moved in an out of Los Angeles, and it was in LA that he first made his transition from paintings to installations.
  
  

Carlos Almaraz

• Carolos Almaraz was a Mexican-born street painter active in garnering attention from reputable art critics for Chicano art. His most famous series of paintings is named after LA's Echo Park.
  
  

Craig Kauffman

• Kauffman has been a mainstay on the Los Angeles art scene since the 1950s. His works, mostly based in minimalism, have been featured in over 20 museum collections including London's Tate Modern and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
  
  

Charles Garabedian

• Garabedian was most active during the 1960s, but has continued to paint in the LA area throughout his life. His work often features references to Greek and Chinese symbolism.
  
  

John McCracken

• A minimalist painter and art professor, John McCracken has works housed in museums throughout the state of California. Through most of the early 1970s, McCracken taught in colleges in Nevada, but he moved back to the LA area in the late '70s to continue his work and teaching.