Artwork Detail

The Golden State Mutual Art Collection is a remarkable representation of Black visual arts in Los Angeles. It is considered one of the largest African American art collections in the United States. Recognizing the collection’s legacy and its significance to Los Angeles County, the Second District leadership supported its preservation when it was in danger of being sold. Now residents in the Second District and throughout Los Angeles County can experience and appreciate the Golden State Mutual artworks.

History of the Collection

The Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company was founded in 1925 by William Nickerson, Jr. and Norman Houston. In 1954, artist William “Bill” Pajaud began collecting artworks for the company to highlight significant artistic contributions to African American culture. Pajaud used his decades-long position as a platform to champion Black artists who were underrepresented in Los Angeles and the art world at large. The collection contains various media including oil, watercolor, etching, wood and linocuts, serigraph prints, ceramics, metalwork, textiles, and wood sculpture. When the company went out of business in 2007, it began to auction off its art collection to cover its debts. Pajaud learned of this and put out a plea for the collection to be cared for and remain publicly accessible.

“Take care of the work and take care of the concept of the people. If, for instance, you are able to get your hands on a piece of that work, any of it, realize that all of it was put together in love, for you and anybody else in the world to see.”

William “Bill” Pajaud

The Rescue of the Collection

Second District leadership prioritized keeping as much of the collection as possible in Los Angeles County. In November 2015, the Department of Arts and Culture acquired 123 works from the original collection, launching a multi-year effort to make these artworks accessible to County residents. The Second District provided funding to purchase the artworks and exhibit them in its unincorporated areas. In the first phase of this initiative, under the management of Arts and Culture, curator Jill Moniz created an exhibition strategy to install as many works as possible and collaborate with County facilities to create a thematic presentation of artworks at each site. Eighty-three Golden State Mutual artworks were installed at AC Bilbrew Library, View Park Bebe Moore Campbell Library, Willowbrook Senior Center, and the County’s Hall of Administration. The remaining artworks were placed in art storage.

The Current Phase of the Collection

In the current phase of the collection, the remaining artworks were removed from storage, documented, conserved, and reframed or mounted in custom cases. Since April 2021, these artworks have been installed at Carson Regional Library, Masao Satow Library, Curtis Tucker Health Center, and Mark Ridley-Thomas Behavioral Health Center. Three artworks related to the founders and a rendering of the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance building by its architect, Paul Revere Williams, were returned on loan to the historic building in West Adams for the first time since their removal. The Golden State Mutual Art Collection is now fully accessible throughout the Second District, maximizing its visibility and audience to activate creative minds and support Black art excellence in Los Angeles County.