03/21/2025
In celebration of World Poetry Day, we invite you to join us for a closer look at Wallace Berman’s Semina 🔍️
Between 1955 and 1964, California artist Wallace Berman (1929-1976) carefully selected drawings, photographs, collages, and poems to assemble nine issues of his handcrafted journal "Semina." Once compiled, "Semina" was sent in the mail or personally given to select friends and fellow-travelers who were part of the diverse counter-cultural scenes in Los Angeles and throughout the United States.
Poets and writers included in Berman’s "Semina" include Charles Baudelaire, Allen Ginsberg, Herman Hesse, Mike McClure, Bob Kaufman, and Charles Bukowski, among others. Berman’s selections reveal his longtime support of Beat poets, as well as his interest in mysticism and game theory.
Enjoy these selections from "Semina," and come see the work in person, Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 6pm, in 'L.A. Louver Celebrates 50 Years,’ through 14 June 2025.
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1-5. Wallace Berman, Selections from "Semina" (facsimile), c. 1988-1992, offset lithograph & letterpress printing, box: 12 1/4 x 10 1/2 x 2 in. / 6. Wallace Berman, "Semina" (original covers), c. 1955-1964, offset lithograph & letterpress printing, dimensions variable
