Page 35 - International Architecture & Design Sotheby's Summer 2016

Los Angeles, Calif.
An unusual bequest has guaranteed that a famous
example of American West Coast architecture will survive in the hands of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The gift is the modernist residence now known as the James Goldstein house, designed by John Lautner, a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright and the renowned architect of more than 200 projects, including many signifi- cant buildings in California.
Owner James Goldstein will continue to occupy the build- ing that has been his home since 1972, but has left it to the museum in his will, along with a US$17 million endowment to maintain the property. “This bequest has set the measure for how important architecture can be cared for and stew- arded beyond the life of the donor...and we have worked to preserve and program the property over the long term,” says Michael Govan, LACMA’s chief executive officer.
Lautner was a leading exponent of the West Coast modern- ist movement of the mid-20th century. The style turned its
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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART