Walter Conrad Arensberg - California Years

California Years

In 1921, for health and financial reasons and upon Louise's insistence, the couple relocated to Hollywood, California. While the move was originally intended to be temporary, the Arensbergs remained in California for the rest of their lives, returning to New York for only a year between 1925 and 1926. They first lived in Cottage A on Olive Hill for a time. In September 1927, the Arensbergs purchased their permanent home on 7065 Hillside Avenue, an example of Mediterranean Revival architecture built in 1920 for Lee B. Memefee and designed by architect William Lee Woollett; they later commissioned architect Richard Neutra to build an addition to house Constantin Brâncuși's bronze version of L’Oiseau dans l’espace (1924). In 1946, Max Ernst and Dorothea Tanning were married at the home in a double wedding with Juliet Browner and Man Ray. Walter served as a board member of the Los Angeles Art Association (1937), Los Angeles County Museum of Art (1938–1939), and the Southwest Museum (1944–1954). In addition, he was a founding board member of the short-lived American Arts in Action (1943) and the Modern Institute of Art, Beverly Hills (1947–1949), organizations dedicated to showing modern art in California.