Artwork Detail

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Historic Map and Modern Map of California

Artist: Mayer, Ben

Object Date: 1969

Medium: Glass

Imperial Dims: Overall: 237 x 120 in.

County Department: Public Library

Address Name: Norwalk Library

Supervisorial District: 4

About the Artwork:

The artwork by Ben Mayer at the Norwalk Library consists of three parts: a circular mosaic in the interior children’s section and two large mosaic murals flanking either side of the main entrance. Outside the library two mosaics depict California’s history and use maps to exemplify changes that have occurred over several hundred years. This mosaic south of the entrance features a map of California as an island. When Europeans first explored the Western edge of North America, they mistakenly believed that the entire region, from Baja California to Washington State was separate from the mainland. Maps from the 16th, 17th, and even 18th centuries often show the “Island of California” that Ben Mayer portrays here. Superimposed above this map are symbols of California’s early European exploration and settlement, including a large sailing ship, an adobe house, and an old Mission.

About the Artist:

Ben Mayer (1925-1999) was born in Germany and later immigrated to England where he attended the All Saints School of Art in Manchester and the Royal College of Art in London. In 1949, he moved to Los Angeles where he remained for the rest of his life. He soon started his own business, Ben Mayer Design, Inc., which provided original artworks for theaters, casinos, and other public buildings.

In his later years, Mayer was drawn into the world of astronomy. Eventually, he turned his design business over to his son and devoted himself to exploring the stars. In 1975, Mayer became the first person to photograph a nova (star explosion) from beginning to end. Over the next two decades he published several books on astronomy, including The Cambridge Astronomy Guide with co-author William Liller. Mayer also patented a number of astrophotography devices, several of which became widely used around the world. In 1982 he was awarded “amateur of the year” by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. He later donated his photography equipment to the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts.