Jan Kesner Gallery

John Humble

color photograph of John Humble with arms crossed standing in front of a mosaic-covered bus decorated with rabbit and squirrel figures.

1944–2025

John Humble photographs the ironies and paradoxes of the Los Angeles landscape in large-scale color. He receives a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Maryland and an M.F.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute, then settles in Los Angeles, where the city itself becomes his subject.

His pictures attend to the overlooked and the everyday: freeway interchanges, commercial strips, the concrete channel of the Los Angeles River, the line where ocean meets sky. A National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1979 supports the ongoing photographic essay on Los Angeles that he continues for five decades.

His work is exhibited and published internationally, and sits in numerous collections, including the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the National Museum of American Art, the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, LACMA, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the J. Paul Getty Museum. Alongside the fine-art work, he makes editorial photographs for Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, Elle, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, Harper’s, Esquire, and Geo.

The J. Paul Getty Museum presents his work in A Place in the Sun: Photographs of Los Angeles by John Humble, with an accompanying book of the same title.

works

  • color photograph of 178th Street at Manhattan Place, Torrance.
    178th Street at Manhattan Place, Torrance1979
  • color photograph of B Street at Figueroa, Wilmington.
    B Street at Figueroa, Wilmington1980
  • color photograph of California at Florence, Huntington Park.
    California at Florence, Huntington Park1980
  • color photograph of View South from Recreation Road, Carson.
    View South from Recreation Road, Carson1980
  • color photograph of Selma Avenue at Vine Street, Hollywood.
    Selma Avenue at Vine Street, Hollywood1991
  • color photograph of View North from I-105 at I-110, Los Angeles.
    View North from I-105 at I-110, Los Angeles1991
  • color photograph of Monsoon Lagoon, Torrance.
    Monsoon Lagoon, Torrance1992
  • color photograph of 600 Shields Drive, San Pedro.
    600 Shields Drive, San Pedro1992
  • color photograph of View East from the 100 Block of Myers Street, Los Angeles.
    View East from the 100 Block of Myers Street, Los Angeles1992
  • color photograph of Lugo Park Avenue at Fernwood, Lynwood.
    Lugo Park Avenue at Fernwood, Lynwood1993
  • color photograph of View East from Rambla Pacifica, Malibu.
    View East from Rambla Pacifica, Malibu1993
  • color photograph of View North from 1500 Block, Jesse Street, Los Angeles.
    View North from 1500 Block, Jesse Street, Los Angeles1993
  • color photograph of View North from Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu.
    View North from Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu1993
  • color photograph of View West from I-105 at I-110, Los Angeles.
    View West from I-105 at I-110, Los Angeles1993
  • color photograph of I-105 at I-405, Los Angeles.
    I-105 at I-405, Los Angeles1994
  • color photograph of 248 Pico Avenue, Long Beach.
    248 Pico Avenue, Long Beach1995
  • color photograph of Venice Boulevard at Grandview, Mar Vista.
    Venice Boulevard at Grandview, Mar Vista1996
  • color photograph of Canton Kitchen 12511 Venice Boulevard, Mar Vista.
    Canton Kitchen 12511 Venice Boulevard, Mar Vista1997
  • color photograph of 10425 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles.
    10425 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles1997
  • color photograph of 2200 West 11th Street, Los Angeles.
    2200 West 11th Street, Los Angeles1997
  • color photograph of 1124 Anaheim Street, Wilmington.
    1124 Anaheim Street, Wilmington1998
  • color photograph of I-710 from I-105, North Long Beach.
    I-710 from I-105, North Long Beach1998
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River from the I-105, Paramount.
    The Los Angeles River from the I-105, Paramount1998
  • color photograph of Pacific Coast Highway at Alameda Street, Wilmington.
    Pacific Coast Highway at Alameda Street, Wilmington1999
  • color photograph of 423 Lincoln Boulevard, Venice.
    423 Lincoln Boulevard, Venice2000
  • color photograph of Santa Monica Boulevard at Highland Avenue, Hollywood.
    Santa Monica Boulevard at Highland Avenue, Hollywood2000
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River from 26th Street, Vernon.
    The Los Angeles River from 26th Street, Vernon2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River from Alondra Boulevard, Compton.
    The Los Angeles River from Alondra Boulevard, Compton2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River, just below the Arroyo Seco, Los Angeles.
    The Los Angeles River, just below the Arroyo Seco, Los Angeles2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River at Atlantic Boulevard, Vernon.
    The Los Angeles River at Atlantic Boulevard, Vernon2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River from the Atlantic Boulevard Bridge, Vernon.
    The Los Angeles River from the Atlantic Boulevard Bridge, Vernon2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River from Atlantic Boulevard, Vernon.
    The Los Angeles River from Atlantic Boulevard, Vernon2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River, Balboa Boulevard Bridge, Reseda.
    The Los Angeles River, Balboa Boulevard Bridge, Reseda2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River, Burbank Boulevard Bridge, Reseda.
    The Los Angeles River, Burbank Boulevard Bridge, Reseda2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River from Downey Road, Vernon.
    The Los Angeles River from Downey Road, Vernon2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River from Florence Avenue, Bell.
    The Los Angeles River from Florence Avenue, Bell2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River from the Florence Avenue Bridge, Bell.
    The Los Angeles River from the Florence Avenue Bridge, Bell2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River from Gage Avenue, Bell.
    The Los Angeles River from Gage Avenue, Bell2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River from the Gage Avenue Bridge, Bell.
    The Los Angeles River from the Gage Avenue Bridge, Bell2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River at the Glendale Narrows, Atwater Village.
    The Los Angeles River at the Glendale Narrows, Atwater Village2001
  • color photograph of Headwaters, the Los Angeles River and Canoga Park High School, Canoga Park.
    Headwaters, the Los Angeles River and Canoga Park High School, Canoga Park2001
  • color photograph of Headwaters, the Los Angeles River, Confluence of Arroyo Calabasas and Bell Creek.
    Headwaters, the Los Angeles River, Confluence of Arroyo Calabasas and Bell Creek2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River at the I-91, North Long Beach.
    The Los Angeles River at the I-91, North Long Beach2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River from Main Street, Los Angeles.
    The Los Angeles River from Main Street, Los Angeles2001
  • color photograph of the Mouth of the Los Angeles River, Long Beach.
    The Mouth of the Los Angeles River, Long Beach2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River, near Atlantic Boulevard, Vernon.
    The Los Angeles River, near Atlantic Boulevard, Vernon2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River, Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area.
    The Los Angeles River, Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River at the Sixth Street Bridge, Los Angeles.
    The Los Angeles River at the Sixth Street Bridge, Los Angeles2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River from Soto Street, Vernon.
    The Los Angeles River from Soto Street, Vernon2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River, South towards Long Beach, Compton.
    The Los Angeles River, South towards Long Beach, Compton2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River, view towards Los Angeles, Vernon.
    The Los Angeles River, view towards Los Angeles, Vernon2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River from the Willow Street Bridge, Long Beach.
    The Los Angeles River from the Willow Street Bridge, Long Beach2001
  • color photograph of the Los Angeles River near Downey Road, Vernon.
    The Los Angeles River near Downey Road, Vernon2002
  • color photograph of I-105 at I-110, Transit Lanes, Los Angeles, at night.
    I-105 at I-110, Transit Lanes, Los Angeles2004
  • color photograph of I-105 at I-110, view North, Los Angeles, at night.
    I-105 at I-110, view North, Los Angeles2004
  • color photograph of I-405 at I-105, Overpass, Los Angeles, at night.
    I-405 at I-105, Overpass, Los Angeles2005
  • color photograph of I-405 at I-105, La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, at night.
    I-405 at I-105, La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles2005
  • color photograph of I-5 at I-91, Elevated View, Los Angeles, at night.
    I-5 at I-91, Elevated View, Los Angeles2005
  • color photograph of I-710 at I-105, Overpass, Los Angeles, at night.
    I-710 at I-105, Overpass, Los Angeles2005
  • color photograph of I-90 at I-405, On Ramp, Los Angeles, at night.
    I-90 at I-405, On Ramp, Los Angeles2005

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