Peter Alexander
American, 1939-2020
Peter Alexander was one of the most celebrated and influential artists to emerge from postwar Los Angeles. Born in Los Angeles, he studied at the University of Pennsylvania, the Architectural Association in London, UC Berkeley, and UCLA, where he received his MFA in 1968.
Alexander became a central figure in the California Light and Space and Finish Fetish movements, gaining early recognition for his luminous cast polyester and resin sculptures that captured, refracted, and transformed light in extraordinary ways. Working with translucent and transparent materials, he created objects that seemed to glow from within, dissolving the boundary between sculpture and pure optical experience.
Over a career spanning more than five decades, Alexander continually reinvented his practice, moving from resin sculpture into painting, works on paper, lithography, photography, and pastel. His evocative cityscapes and landscapes of Los Angeles — depicting the city's coastal haze, radiant nightscapes, and atmospheric light — became iconic images of Southern California life.
Alexander's work was exhibited internationally throughout his career, including major presentations at LACMA, the Museum of Modern Art (New York), SFMoMA, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. His prints were published by the legendary Cirrus Editions in Los Angeles, one of the most important print workshops in postwar American art.
Museum Collections
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York • Getty Museum, Los Angeles • Los Angeles County Museum of Art • Museum of Modern Art, New York • San Francisco Museum of Modern Art • Whitney Museum of American Art • Walker Art Center, Minneapolis • Centre Pompidou, Paris • Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena