Every Minute Is History: Five Views of Los Angeles

Exhibition
A person in skeleton makeup and a dress carries gladiolas, posing against a draped background.

Lotería de Muertos (detail), 1983; printed 1993, Ricardo Valverde. Hand-colored gelatin silver print. Getty Museum. © Esperanza Valverde and Christopher Jude Valverde

Discover the work of five photographers whose distinct approaches to the medium helped expand traditional representations of Chicano/a communities in Los Angeles during the second half of the 20th century. Drawing from a wide range of influences, including social documentary practices, staged scenes, fashion and the popular press, these artists—Laura Aguilar, Reynaldo Rivera, George Rodriguez, Patssi Valdez, and Ricardo Valverde—pushed the medium in new and often provocative directions.

Descubre la obra de cinco fotógrafos cuyos diferentes enfoques del medio contribuyeron a ampliar las representaciones tradicionales de las comunidades chicanas en Los Ángeles durante la segunda mitad del siglo XX. Laura Aguilar, Reynaldo Rivera, George Rodriguez, Patssi Valdez y Ricardo Valverde encontraron inspiración en una vasta gama de influencias, incluyendo prácticas del documentalismo social, fotografías escenificadas, la moda y la prensa popular, e impulsaron el medio hacia nuevas, y a menudo, provocadoras direcciones.

This exhibition is presented in English and Spanish. Esta exposición se muestra en inglés y en español.

Sep 1, 2026–Jan 3, 2027

Getty Center

Museum West Pavilion, Lower Level

Free

All exhibitions are included in your free, timed-entry reservation to Getty. Reservations are available six weeks in advance. Please note, there is a fee for parking.

Plan your visit

Selected Works

  • Lotería de Muertos

    1983; printed 1993, Ricardo Valverde. Hand-colored gelatin silver print. Getty Museum. © Esperanza Valverde and Christopher Jude Valverde

    A person in skeleton makeup and a dress carries gladiolas, posing against a draped background.

  • Dances with Muertos

    1983; printed 1991, Ricardo Valverde. Gelatin silver print. Getty Museum. Purchased with funds provided by the Photographs Council. © Esperanza Valverde and Christopher Jude Valverde

    A person in a hat and sunglasses poses, holding a cigarette with their face painted like a skeleton.

  • Jay Jay

    1987, from the series Latina Lesbians, Laura Aguilar. Gelatin silver print. Getty Museum. Purchased with funds provided by the Photographs Council. © Laura Aguilar Trust of 2016

    Black-and-white photo of a person in a blazer and glasses posed in front of a bookshelf sits above a handwritten note on the same page.

  • Sunset Strip Riots, West Holllywood

    1966; printed 2021, George Rodriguez. Gelatin silver print. Getty Museum. © George Rodriguez

    Signed black-and-white photo of police lining a street with cars and a bus.

  • Billie in a Patssi Valdez Fashion

    1982; printed 2025, Patssi Valdez. Digital pigment print. Courtesy of the artist. © Patssi Valdez

    Black-and-white photo of a person in an elaborate stage costume stands against a highly-decorated backdrop.

  • Gaby, La Plaza

    1996, Reynaldo Rivera. Gelatin silver print. Courtesy of the artist and Reena Spaulings Fine Art, New York. © Reynaldo Rivera

    A person in a mermaid-cut gown talks into a microphone on stage with a "Seasons Greetings" sign in the background.

Contact

Media Contact: Valerie Tate

For press inquiries related to this exhibition, please email vtate@getty.edu

Related Exhibition Instante/revelación: Moments in Mexican Photography

Works by 13 photographers trace Mexico’s evolving visual culture across a creative century.

A black-and-white photograph of a woman leaning out of a window, she and the surrounding building are shadowed in a cross-hatch lattice.
En su propia cárcel / In Her Own Prison (detail), 1950, Lola Álvarez Bravo. Gelatin silver print. Getty Museum. Gift of Daniel Greenberg and Susan Steinhauser. © Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona Foundation