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California Art: Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation
August 20 - December 4, 2011
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 24, 5-7 pm
Family Art Day: Sunday, September 25, noon-2 pm
The Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University
24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90263, Tel.506-7257
Museum hours: Tuesday - Sunday 11 am - 5 pm (Free admission)
Close on Monday and major holidays, includeing November 24 and 25
General information: 310-506-4851 - Museum office 310-506-7257
Group tours: 310-506-4766-arts.pepperdine.edu/museum
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Frederick R. Weisman was a pioneeering L.A. art collector whose rise as an important patron of the arts paralleled the emergence of the contemporary art scene in Southern California. This exhibition features works as ranging from the early 1960s through the present and includes movements as diverse as California Pop Art, Hard-Edge Abstraction, Fetish Finish, and Light and Space. |
Artists on view includes:
Lita Albuquerque
Peter Alexander
Charles Arnoldi
Billy Al Bengston
Tony Berlant |
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Bruce Conner
Ron Davis
Laddie John Dill
Tim Ebner
Jack Goldstein | |
Joe Goode
Tim Hawkinson
Robert Irwin
Craig Kauffman | |
John McLaughlin
Ed Morses
Ed Ruscha
And many others |
Since the 1960s California has emerged as a center for contemporary art that rivals New York in its accomplishments and innovation. Frederick R. Weisman was a pioneering collector whose rise as an important patron of the arts paralleled the emergence of the contemporary art scene in Los Angeles. He began collecting both international art and art from Los Angeles in the mid-1950s, and counted many of the city's top artists as his close friends, building a collection that reflects these personal relationships.
He was an early supporter of many of the artists that rose to prominence under the legendary Ferus Gallery, established by Walter Hopps, Ed Kienholz and later, Irving Blum. At the time Hopps was an innovative young curator who was tuned in to the idiosyncratic styles of Los Angeles artists, which had developed from isolation during the post-war period. As a result, LA artists were inspired by their daily lives and surroundings—the local terrain, vibrant sun, beautiful sunsets, blue skies, surfboards, and fast, flashy cars.
Soon new art movements were created (such as Light and Space, and Finish Fetish), and the Cool School was born. But it would be decades later before the rest of the world recognized the importance of these artists and movements. In keeping with Frederick Weisman’s tradition of supporting local artists, the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation has continued to amass a substantial collection of Los Angeles and California art. |
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