Black Mountain College was for a short time a hotbed of collaboration and inspiration among the very best and most gifted artists and poets of the 20th Century. “Leap Before You Look” at the Hammer Museum gives us an unerring glimpse into the world of artists whose work is seldom seen or attributed to this group. The exhibition showcases artworks by many women including Ruth Asawa, Anni Albers and Hazel Larson Archer, and focuses on less traditional sculptural pieces including Asawa’s wonderfully inventive Neck Piece (1940), a necklace made from an aluminum strainer and paper clips. Cy Twombly’s amazingly spare yet powerful LaLa (1953) also gives us an early peek into the artist’s artistic beginnings, a journey that was certainly influenced by his time at Black Mountain.

Hammer Museum

10899 Wilshire Blvd,

Los Angeles, CA 90024

Show runs through May 15, 2016