SMC Barrett Gallery Presents Made in CA

 

SANTA MONICA, CA — The Santa Monica College Pete & Susan Barrett Art Gallery will present "Made in California: Contemporary Art from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation," an exciting exhibition of significant West Coast works created by a variety of California artists.

The exhibition will be open to the public from Tuesday, August 27, to Friday, December 6, with a free gallery reception on Saturday, September 14, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The SMC Pete & Susan Barrett Gallery is located at the SMC Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th Street (at Santa Monica Boulevard), Santa Monica.

Funding for the exhibition and related activities has been provided by the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation and Santa Monica College.

The exhibit, featuring a selection of contemporary art produced in the Golden State from the 1960s to the present, is curated by Foundation Director Billie Milam Weisman, who notes:

Since the 1960s, California has emerged as a center for contemporary art that rivals New York in its accomplishments and innovation. Weisman, who began collecting both international art and art from Los Angeles in the mid-1950s, counted many of the city's top artists as his close friends, building a collection that reflects these personal relationships.

Weisman was an early supporter of many of the artists who rose to prominence through the legendary Ferus Gallery, established by Walter Hopps, Ed Kienholz, and later, Irving Blum. At the time, Hopps was an innovative young curator 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. The art on view represents a number of these diverse movements that have shaped and continue to play a decisive role in defining the visual arts in the Golden State.

Exhibition artists include: Lita Albuquerque, Peter Alexander, Charles Arnoldi, Billy Al Bengston, Kelly Berg, Tony Berlant, Gisela Colon, Ron Davis, Michael Dee, Laddie John Dill, Doug Edge, Sam Francis, Joe Goode, James Hayward, Scot Heywood, David Hockney, Edward and Nancy Kienholz, Gary Lang, Blue McRight, Joel Morrison, Andy Moses, Ed Moses, Ruth Pastine, Edward Ruscha, Robert Therrien, De Wain Valentine, and Tom Wudl.

Hours for SMC’s Pete & Susan Barrett Art Gallery are noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. All exhibits, gallery talks, and opening receptions are free.

For more information, please call 310-434-3434.