Helter Skelter L.A. Art in the 1990s: MOCA

Helter Skelter: L.A. Art in the 1990s
Exhibition Catalogue | First Edition, 1992 | The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA)

Helter Skelter: L.A. Art in the 1990s is the groundbreaking exhibition catalogue accompanying the Museum of Contemporary Art’s iconic 1992 show curated by Paul Schimmel—a defining moment that captured the gritty, transgressive, and visceral undercurrent pulsing through the Los Angeles art scene at the turn of the decade.

Featuring now-legendary artists including Mike Kelley, Raymond Pettibon, Paul McCarthy, Lari Pittman, Chris Burden, Nancy Rubins, Charles Ray, Jim Shaw, and Robert Williams, Helter Skelter positioned L.A. as a new capital of radical contemporary art. The book explores themes of identity, violence, sexuality, decay, and media distortion—reflecting the raw psychological and cultural climate of a city on the edge.

Features:

• Over 100 color and black-and-white plates

• In-depth essays by curator Paul Schimmel and art historian Catherine Gudis

• Full artist bios, exhibition checklist, and critical commentary

• Designed to reflect the aesthetic tension and dark satire of the work itself

Edition Notes:

• Softcover with French flaps

• First edition, 1992

• Published by MOCA / Los Angeles and Rizzoli

• Approx. 9.5 x 12 inches | 172 pages

• ISBN: 9780847815640

• Out of print and highly sought-after

Helter Skelter is more than a catalogue—it's a cultural document of the dystopian, post-Rodney King, pre-digital Los Angeles. It remains a must-own for collectors, scholars, and anyone invested in the evolution of West Coast art, underground aesthetics, and institutional critique.