Stanley Grinstein

Stanley Grinstein, who played a pivotal role in the art scene in Los Angeles as it was evolving in the 1960s and '70s, was an unlikely candidate for that role. He was not an artist or even, at the beginning, a collector. He was in the forklift business and had a great fondness for USC football. But in 1952, Grinstein got married and he and his wife, Elyse, went in search of a pastime they could mutually enjoy. Stanley Grinstein co-founded Gemini G.E.L., a seminal art print firm where a pantheon of artists created lithograph series and other works. Among those who created pieces at the high-tech workshop on Melrose Avenue over the years were David Hockney, Robert Rauschenberg, Ed Kienholz, Ed Ruscha, Ellsworth Kelly, Richard Serra, Roy Lichtenstein and many more. Gemini, with an expansion designed by Frank Gehry, became a meeting place for artists as did, perhaps even more important, the Grinstein home, where the couple hosted legendary gatherings. He was born Nov. 26, 1927, in Seattle and was in his sophomore year at the University of Washington when the family moved to Los Angeles. Grinstein transferred to USC, and he and his father started a scrap metal business. At one point, he bought a single forklift, and a business in selling and renting the machines grew from there. Gemini was founded in 1966 by Grinstein and Sidney Felsen, a close friend and fraternity buddy from his college years at USC. Grinstein and Felsen were able to establish Gemini early on as a going concern. Grinstein also ran the forklift company until he sold it in 2000. In addition to his wife and daughters Ayn and Ellen, Grinstein is survived by another daughter, Nancy Grinstein; sister Corinne Miller; and six grandchildren.