San José Museum of Art

See what you think.

Architectural Drawings and Photographs from the L.J. Cella Collection

  • A black and white photograph of a modern home's backyard with two chaise loungers and a table. There is a lit pool with a person on a mat lying beside the pool. In the near distance are hills with light reflecting off the mist of the evening air.

    Julius Shulman, Kauffman House, 1947. Vintage gelatin silver print, 20 x 24 inches.

  • A drawing of a fence with two arc-shaped steel gates. They come together to form a v shape on the lower half. Pale green and orange colors fill the arc space. Between the gates on either side are square shaped tall bushes in a light shade of red.

    Robert Irwin, Dia Beacon West Gates, 2001. Pencil and ink on mylar, 18 x 28 inches.

  • Terry Allen, Music Forest (detail), 1991. Mixed media on paper, 20 x 17 inches.

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    The best art collections reveal an intriguing and singular vision. Assembling a dazzling variety of drawings by celebrated architects, artists, and designers, L.J. Cella has carved out a unique collecting niche, ranging from Robert Irwin's meticulous presentation drawings on vellum to Frank Gehry's spontaneous brainstorms on paper napkins. These drawings and photographs offer a pathway into the creative mind, revealing the thought processes and varied impulses behind contemporary architectural and landscape design projects, both real and imagined.

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