A preliminary architectural drawing for the front elevation of Grauman's Chinese Theatre, 1925

Details

Raymond M. Kennedy (1891-1976)
A preliminary architectural drawing for the front elevation of Grauman's Chinese Theatre, 1925
signed 'RAYMOND M. KENNEDY A.I.A/DELINEATOR ' and with inscription 'Rendering of exterior Grauman's Chinese Theatre - Hollywood California' (on label attached to the sheet)
bodycolour on board
33 x 15½ in. (84 x 39.5 cm.)

Literature

A. Willis, 'Design-Build in Early Modern Los Angeles, A Case Study of Meyer & Holler, p. 601 in Formulation Fabrication The Architecture of History, Society of Architectural Historians Journal, Australia and New Zealand, November, 2000.
T. Helgesen, 'Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, Console Magazine, Los Angeles, 1969.

Special notice

Artist's Resale Right ("Droit de Suite"). Artist's Resale Right Regulations 2006 apply to this lot, the buyer agrees to pay us an amount equal to the resale royalty provided for in those Regulations, and we undertake to the buyer to pay such amount to the artist's collection agent. VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 20% on the buyer's premium.

Lot Essay

The iconic Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood is one of the most celebrated movie theatres of the modern age, most renowned for its famous forecourt of celebrity hand and foot prints. Built and designed by architectural firm Meyer and Holler it was opened on 18th May, 1927 for the premiere of Cecil B. DeMille's The King of Kings. Raymond Kennedy, one of the firm's most notable architects, developed the majority of plans for the theatre, liaising closely with Sid Grauman, who had also commissioned the Million Dollar Theatre and the Egyptian Theatre. Kennedy, known for his conceptual exuberance and sophistication also designed the Fox Theatre, Fullerton, California and later went on to become Professor of Architectural Design at the University of Southern California.

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