Picture Perfect: Photos of the Hollywood Bowl by Otto Rothschild (1906-1981)
Picture Perfect: Photos of the Hollywood Bowl by Otto Rothschild (1906-1981) was the first exhibition in the museum’s history solely dedicated to the work and legacy of Otto Rothschild, a pioneering self-taught photographer who was responsible for some of the most memorable images in Hollywood Bowl history.
Ljiljana Grubisic, Curator
This exhibition contained over 130 photographs and 26 artifacts, including some original cameras and personal possessions of Rothschild alongside two large murals.
"Picture Perfect" exhibit.
Van Cliburn concert, July 31, 1958.
Grateful Dead concert, July 21, 1974.
Ella Fitzgerald, circa 1960.
Side view of the Hollywood Bowl fountain on Cahuenga Blvd.,circa 1940.
About Otto Rothschild (1906-1981)
When Otto Rothschild arrived from Cleveland in 1928, Los Angeles was a boomtown of oil fields, movie studios, small airplane factories, and far-flung urban development fueled by the rise of the automobile. The city’s population more than doubled between 1920 and 1929 when it reached 1.2 million people.
Then the Great Depression hit. Unemployment topped 28 percent in 1932. Even so, Otto Rothschild, who had no education beyond high school, had something that proved to be of great value: he owned a camera, had taught himself how to use it, and possessed the technical skills to process film and produce prints.
His first job developing film in Hollywood evolved into a life-long career as a photographer and chronicler of Los Angeles. Combining impeccable technique, an artistic eye, and an eagerness to make a mark on his adopted city, Rothschild captured everything from the Hollywood Bowl and the glamor of the film industry to sporting and political events.
Rothschild started to take photographs for a handful of clients in 1932, including the Hollywood Bowl. His rise to fame as a photographer was rooted in his stunning work at capturing the performing arts. As the official photographer of the Hollywood Bowl (1937-1964) and The Music Center (1964-1974), Rothschild captured thousands of events at the Hollywood Bowl, Philharmonic Auditorium, and Civic Light Opera, leaving behind an archive of nearly half a million images.
Rothschild’s Photos of Artists Performing at the Hollywood Bowl
During his career, Rothschild photographed nearly every world-renowned conductor, musician, dancer, actor, and celebrity who stepped onto the Bowl stage, and the exhibition drew on the more than 10,000 photos he took at this iconic venue. No visual history of the Hollywood Bowl’s first century is complete without Otto Rothschild’s images.
Duke Ellington, August 25, 1966. Credit: Music Center records (Collection 3261) / UCLA Library Special Collections
Zubin Mehta, 1969. Credit: Music Center records (Collection 3261) / UCLA Library Special Collections
Judy Garland, 1946. Credit: Los Angeles Philharmonic Archives / Courtesy of The Music Center
Rothschild’s approach was simple: “You go there, you do your job, and hopefully nobody notices.” He also believed that “you shoot 100 pictures to get a good one” because you never get a second chance.
The LA Phil Insight initiative is generously supported by Linda and David Shaheen.
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FREE admission all year
Touring the Bowl may be closed on specific days. Guests wishing to include a museum visit in their itinerary should contact the museum directly or our Audience Services team for further information.
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Location
2301 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90068
The Museum is located at the bottom of Peppertree Lane—the first building on the right when entering from Highland Avenue.
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Summer Hours
(June–September, exact dates variable by season)
Tuesday–Friday: 10AM - show time
Saturday-Monday: 4 hours prior to show time -
Off-Season Hours
(Mid–September through June, exact dates variable by season)
Tuesday–Friday: 10AM - 5PM
Saturday–Monday: closed
Closed: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day
