No photographer has captured the breadth of Los Angeles like George Rodriguez. From the Chicano rights movement to the Sunset Strip rock scene, beautifully observed street photography to lavish celebrity galas, hip hop outlaws and the gritty boxing scene, Rodriguez’ work weaves together the seemingly mismatched threads that make Los Angeles a dynamic, indefinable city.

Growing up in downtown L.A. in the 1940s, George’s perspective was shaped through memories of a vivid world that has largely disappeared. His father emigrated from Mexico and opened a shoe repair shop on Skid Row near the Main Street Gym, the hub of L.A.’s boxing scene for decades. George’s dad was a fight fan who repaired boxing gloves and regularly took George to the Olympic Auditorium, Hollywood Legion Stadium and other venues. George tagged along and developed a fascination more with the action outside the ring than the battles taking place inside.

In Boxing Los Angeles, Rodriguez’ first exhibition solely focused on his boxing work, we see the inner world of boxing through George’s lens. Like the rest of his oeuvre, his eye is drawn to human moments: a pre-fight prayer in a dressing room, a silhouetted champion wearing a sombrero in victory, a glowing portrait of Sugar Ray Robinson, one of the greatest boxers of all time, gliding through the hallway of the Olympic Auditorium.

There will be a sneak preview of Boxing Los Angeles at the REEF Open House on November 21st from 5pm to 8pm with writer Gene Aguilera on hand to discuss the legacy of Los Angeles boxing. Boxing Los Angeles will be featured in the 18th & Grand space at SHOW LA community photo fair at the REEF from December 10-13, 2026. Rodriguez will be in conversation with 18th & Grand curator Stephen DeBro and others TBA on Friday December 11th at 12:30 pm. For information and tickets, go to www.show-la.com.

About George Rodriguez

George Rodriguez (b. 1937) is a Los Angeles based photographer whose archive was recently acquired by the Getty Research Institute. His works are part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. He is currently featured in the Getty Museum show Every Minute Is History: Five Views of Los Angeles. A monograph of his work Double Vision: The Photography of George Rodriguez was published in 2018, the same year he received a Lifetime Achievement, Leadership in the Arts Award from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

About 18th & Grand

18th & Grand is a multimedia project encompassing film, exhibitions and live events, reframing Los Angeles history through the prism of a 20th Century fight palace. www.18thandgrand.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact: Stephen DeBro GPE

steve@genpop.me 310-625 9793