Al's Grand Hotel catalog, 1971, Allen Ruppersberg. Offset lithograph. 9 x 6 x 1/16 in. The Getty Research Institute, 94-B15837. © Allen Ruppersberg
Beginning in the 1960s, select Los Angeles artists began to mimic the look and feel of commercial marketing strategies by treating viewers as consumers. Allen Ruppersberg ran Al’s Grand Hotel, an art project that doubled as a fully-functional hotel, located at 7175 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, for a little over a month in 1971. Individual rooms in the two-story craftsman-style house in Hollywood were redecorated in various styles, such as the Jesus Room and the Bridal Suite. The hotel also hosted Saturday evening concerts by artists such as Ruppersberg’s friend and fellow Chouinard alum, Terry Allen.
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Exhibition audio: Curator John Tain discusses Ruppersberg’s work.
Explore the Era
Delve into the postwar Los Angeles art world in this online archive, which provides additional material related to the exhibitions on view at the Getty Center. Learn about hipsters and happenings, and the venues across the city where all the action took place through images from the archives and first-hand accounts with the artists.
Al’s Grand Hotel catalog
Al's Grand Hotel catalog, 1971, Allen Ruppersberg. Offset lithograph. 9 x 6 x 1/16 in. The Getty Research Institute, 94-B15837. © Allen Ruppersberg
On View at the Getty Center: Greetings from L.A.: Artists and Publics 1950-1980
Beginning in the 1960s, select Los Angeles artists began to mimic the look and feel of commercial marketing strategies by treating viewers as consumers. Allen Ruppersberg ran Al’s Grand Hotel, an art project that doubled as a fully-functional hotel, located at 7175 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, for a little over a month in 1971. Individual rooms in the two-story craftsman-style house in Hollywood were redecorated in various styles, such as the Jesus Room and the Bridal Suite. The hotel also hosted Saturday evening concerts by artists such as Ruppersberg’s friend and fellow Chouinard alum, Terry Allen.
Exhibition audio: Curator John Tain discusses Ruppersberg’s work.
Historic Map Locations
Styles & Materials
Time Periods & Venues
Works of Art
Greetings from L.A.: A Novel, 1972, Allen Ruppersberg. Offset lithograph. Self-published book. 8 x 5 1/4 x 11/16 in. The Getty Research Institute, 90-B12310.c1. © Allen Ruppersberg
Gonna California, 1969, recorded by Terry Allen. Vinyl record (45rpm). 6 7/8 in. diameter. The Getty Research Institute, Allan Kaprow Papers, 980063.180. © Terry Allen, Green Shoes Publishing, BMI, Administered by BUG Music
24 Pieces, 1970, Allen Ruppersberg. Spiral-bound offset lithograph. Self-published book. 6 1/4 x 8 1/4 in. The Getty Research Institute, 89-B22093.c1. © Allen Ruppersberg
Explore the Archive
Video: Discover how L.A. artists of the 1960s and 1970s appropriated commercial culture
Letter and brochure for Al's Grand Hotel, May 2, 1971, designed by Allen Ruppersberg. Offset lithograph brochure, typed letter (signed). © Allen Ruppersberg. The Getty Research Institute, Gift of Michael Asher, 2009.M.30.2