John Altoon was a central character in the Los Angeles art scene of the 1950s and '60s. His larger-than-life personality and enthusiasm energized the circle of artists associated with the Ferus Gallery, a nexus of L.A. avant-gardism that included such still influential figures as Ed Kienholz, Robert Irwin, Ed Moses, Larry Bell, and Ed Ruscha. A boisterous, hard-drinking man, in love with the ladies, was plagued by bouts of depression alternating with episodes of mania that sometimes turned destructive. He died young, at the age of 44, from a massive heart attack, and his funeral is said to have included the largest number of Los Angeles artists ever to gather in one spot.