Alex Israel’s “Noir” Debuts at Gagosian Beverly Hills

Opening January 9 at Gagosian Beverly Hills, Noir, Alex Israel’s latest exhibition Noir, invites visitors into a reimagined Los Angeles. Israel, born and raised in LA, grounds his work in the visual and psychological disorientations of Hollywood noir, a genre that emerged alongside the global uncertainty of World War II. With Warner Bros. as his creative playground, Israel’s new paintings draw directly from the city’s layered past.

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The artist’s process is as intricate as the city he captures. Starting with photographs and sketches, Israel worked collaboratively with animators to create digital blueprints that evolved into the finished pieces. His attention to detail extended to selecting specific fan palm silhouettes and perfecting the purplish gradients of twilight skies. Painted by a Warner Bros. Scenic Art department artist, the final works are acrylic on canvas, carefully crafted, yet deliberately heightened to evoke a sense of cinematic unreality.

Each painting captures a familiar yet disorienting LA streetscape, from the Troubadour to vintage gas stations and yogurt shops, all frozen in time. The absence of people and the presence of mannequins in lingerie shop windows evoke a dreamlike unease, a quality essential to the noir aesthetic. These scenes prompt a kaleidoscopic reflection: not just where are we, but when? Israel’s work transcends time, layering personal memory with the city’s mythos, resulting in a psychological tableau that feels both inviting and unsettling.

The rich, candy-colored palettes and slick surfaces of his paintings seduce the viewer, echoing the duality of noir’s femme fatales. Yet, behind these vibrant façades lies a disquieting duplicity, heightened by exaggerated perspectives and theatrical lighting. His Los Angeles, though undeniably beautiful, is a city of illusions, simultaneously enchanting and untrustworthy.

For those who share Israel’s deep connection to LA, Noir captures the paradoxical beauty of a city built on dreams and façades. The paintings’ seductive surfaces beckon viewers to look closer, revealing a deeper commentary on the fragility of memory and the power of illusion. “Hollywood Liquor,” one of Israel’s featured works, encapsulates this ethos: a brightly lit sign that reminds us that, in this city, even the ordinary can shimmer with cinematic magic.

Noir is a reflection of a city that thrives on its contradictions, where the line between reality and fiction blurs. In these painted streetscapes, Israel distills the haunting beauty of noir, inviting us to embrace the mystery of LA.