Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A., 1945–1980

Ed Ruscha, The Back of Hollywood, 1977
As a way to play with the idea of subject in a picture, Ruscha began making paintings of words in the '60s. (As he once said, "I still paint in oil paint, but what I'm interested in is illustrating ideas.") A favorite was the word Hollywood, spelled out by the famous sign, seen here in cinemascopic proportions — but from behind, to thwart a too easy understanding.

At the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art

• California's Changing Landscape