Huysman Gallery
| Company type | Art gallery |
|---|---|
| Industry | Art exhibition |
| Founded | 1960 |
| Founder | Henry Hopkins |
| Defunct | 1961 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California , United States |
| Products | Art exhibitions |
The Huysman Gallery was an art exhibition space located in Los Angeles, California, which operated from December 1960 until the summer of 1961. Situated at 740 North La Cienega Boulevard, directly across from the prominent Ferus Gallery, it was established and curated by Henry Hopkins. The gallery took its name from the French author Joris-Karl Huysmans and focused on presenting works by emerging artists who subsequently gained considerable recognition, such as Joe Goode, Ed Ruscha, and Larry Bell.
War Babies exhibition
The gallery’s most significant show, titled War Babies, was held between May 29 and June 17, 1961. This exhibition included pieces by Goode, Bell, Ed Bereal, and Ron Miyashiro, all of whom were born in the late 1930s and influenced by their formative years during World War II. Hopkins explained that the exhibition’s name symbolized both a postwar international outlook and a generational identity. War Babies stood out as one of the earliest exhibitions to feature racial integration, confronting prevailing postwar American racial attitudes and identity issues. The variety in artistic approaches demonstrated the dynamic nature of the Los Angeles art scene in the early 1960s.
The promotional poster for War Babies, created by Jerry McMillan and Joe Goode, attracted more attention than the exhibition itself. It portrayed the four artists seated around a table covered with an American flag, each holding items that referenced ethnic or religious caricatures: Bell (Jewish) with a bagel, Bereal (African American) with a watermelon, Miyashiro (Japanese American) with chopsticks, and Goode (Catholic) with a mackerel. This provocative visual sparked backlash from both liberal and conservative groups; notably, the John Birch Society criticized it as an act of flag desecration.
In the wake of the controversy surrounding War Babies, the gallery’s financial supporters—three attorneys—retracted their backing, resulting in the gallery’s closure shortly after the exhibition concluded in summer 1961.