#simon rodia

[archiveofaffinities]

Simon Rodia, Watts Towers, Los Angeles, California, 1921 -1954

[tilbageidanmark]

Henry Darger's Outside Art

[strathshepard]

Simon Rodia climbing one of his towers

[electronicsquid]

Watts Towers

(Ralph Crane. 1960?)

[phillymagicgardens]

Outsider Inspirations

Simon Rodia’s Watt’s Towers

Sabato “Simon” Rodia (1879 – 1965) emigrated from Italy to the United States when he was fourteen years old and eventually settled in California where he worked in masonry and construction. Beginning in 1921, Rodia spent three decades building seventeen structures made of steel and mortar and mosaicked them in glass, tile, and seashells. Rodia constructed all the towers without machinery; the tallest among them is 99 ½ feet tall.

In 1956, the City of Los Angeles considered the space to be a hazard and ordered for it to be destroyed. A committee of actors, architects, artists, and engineers purchased the property and negotiated with the city to preserve the work. The committee operated the Towers independently until 1975, when the City of Los Angeles, and later the State of California, assisted in the preservation as the site became famous. Currently, the Watts Towers are under the care of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

Isaiah Zagar visited Watts Towers in 1987.

“Outsider Inspirations: The Influence of Art Environments on Isaiah Zagar” is on view at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens until August 26, 2018.

[strathshepard]

Simon Rodia: Watts Towers, completed 1954

[strathshepard]

Simon Rodia: Watts Towers, completed 1954

[archiveofaffinities]

Simon Rodia, Watts Towers, Detail, Los Angeles, California, 1921-1954