Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
Abstract painter Ed Moses died Wednesday at age 91. Moses was one of L.A.'s most prolific artists, and is one of the reasons Angelenos have a thriving art scene today.
Leslie Jones curated the Los Angeles County Museum of Art exhibit of Moses' drawings from the '60s and '70s that was held in 2015.
Jones said Moses was passionate about his art and was working right up to the end of his life. She also said he had a lot of respect in the art world for bucking trends and following his own path with his work.
Jones said that being in Los Angeles gave Moses the freedom to do what he wanted with his art.
"[He] just came home basically to L.A., to Venice because still there's this image of the wild west a little bit out here and the land of opportunity."
Compared to places like New York, Los Angeles is much less conventional, Jones said.
"Ed was not a rule follower so I think he knew that L.A. was the place for him."