Jan 08, 2014 The Irvine Museum Presents CALIFORNIA SCENE PAINTINGS: 1920's - 1960's 18881 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 100Irvine, CA 92612 949.476.0294 www.irvinemuseum.org For immediate release, please: PRESS RELEASE Media Contact: Marni Farmer marni.farmer@yahoo.com 805.748.8636 THE IRVINE MUSEUM PRESENTS CALIFORNIA SCENE PAINTINGS: 1920s-1960s, A SPECIAL EXHIBITION GUEST CURATED BY GORDON MCLELLAND ON DISPLAY JANUARY 18-MAY 8, 2014 Images left to right: Phil Dike, California Holiday, 1933, The E. Gene Crain Collection; Millard Sheets, Horses and Hills, 1932, Collection of Ray Redfern; Edward Reep, Cafe, 1947, Collection of Van & Diane Simmons Irvine, CA (January 18-May 8, 2014)--From January 18 to May 8, 2014, The Irvine Museum presents California Scene Paintings: 1920s-1960s, a special exhibition guest curated by Gordon T. McClelland. Part of the larger Regionalist art movement of the 1930s-1960s era, California Scene Painting--a term first used by Los Angeles Times art critic Arthur Millier--describes representational art that captured scenes of everyday life in California. Through the New Deal Relief programs, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) assisted struggling artists by providing them with wages to create artworks for government buildings and public places intended to uplift the nation's spirits amidst the Great Depression. California Scene Paintings: 1920s-1960s documents much of this period in California history through works that depict local city and rural scenes, particularly in and around Los Angeles and San Francisco, which were rapidly expanding during that time. Characterized by a sense of humanity, the works in the exhibition typically include people or representations of man made creations. The California Scene artists related what they saw around them: people going about their everyday lives, factories, a growing car culture, ranches, and agrarian communities. Despite a shifting interest toward abstract and non-objective art during the 1950s, practitioners of California Scene Painting continued to create artworks documenting developments in California history, such as the building of freeways and the formation of California Beach Culture. Automobiles, trains, barns, roadways, fences, and coastline piers are among key elements that serve as markers to define works as California Scene Paintings. "The architecture, industrial design, and clothing styles seen in these works capture the essence of a time gone by," said McClelland. "When select works are exhibited together they provide unique insight into how creative people from that era perceived the world around them. It is my hope that people find these works to be artistically inspiring and intellectually engaging." California Scene Paintings: 1920s-1960s at The Irvine Museum features 41 oil paintings, watercolors, drawings, and prints loaned from local private collections. Included in the exhibition are notable artists such as Millard Sheets, Phil Dike, Emil Kosa Jr., Milford Zornes, and Rex Brandt, who participated in this art movement and who received national acclaim for the art that they created. Other artists included in this exhibition received little attention from the fine art community during the pre-1970s era, but are now being recognized for their important contributions to the California Scene Painting movement. Ben Norris, John Bohnenberger, Art Riley, and Preston Blair are among them. A large format book, titled California Scene Paintings, accompanies the exhibition and visually documents artworks from this period and connects them to California's history. California Scene Paintings: 1920s-1960s at The Irvine Museum features 41 oil paintings, watercolors, drawings, and prints loaned from local private collections. Included in the exhibition are notable artists such as Millard Sheets, Phil Dike, Emil Kosa Jr., Milford Zornes, and Rex Brandt, who participated in this art movement and who received national acclaim for the art that they created. Other artists included in this exhibition received little attention from the fine art community during the pre-1970s era, but are now being recognized for their important contributions to the California Scene Painting movement. Ben Norris, John Bohnenberger, Art Riley, and Preston Blair are among them. A large format book, titled California Scene Paintings, accompanies the exhibition and visually documents artworks from this period and connects them to California's history. ABOUT THE IRVINE MUSEUM Dedicated to the preservation and display of California art of the Impressionist Period (1890-1930), The Irvine Museum is embracing a principal role in the education and furtherance of this beautiful and important regional variant of American Impressionism that has come to be associated with California and its remarkable landscape. The Irvine Museum invites you to share this experience and to enjoy the splendor and power of art as it relates directly to our beloved California. Location 18881 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 100Irvine, CA 92612 Hours Tuesday-Saturday: 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. The museum is closed Monday, Sunday, between exhibitions, and for major holidays Admission $5.00 general admission FREE for children, students, and seniors (age 60 and older)FREE the second Wednesday of every monthParking Structure parking is available for visitors. Parking is free with validation from The Irvine Museum. Tours The Irvine Museum offers a variety of tours of its exhibitions. A regularly scheduled docent tour is offered every Thursday at 11:15 a.m. Visitors are welcome on this tour without a reservation. In addition, special docent-led tours are available to groups of ten or more on an a appointment basis. Please contact the Curator of Education at 949.476.0294 to schedule your group for a tour of our current exhibition MEDIA CONTACT For interviews and image requests, and all other inquiries, please contact Marni Farmer at marni.farmer@yahoo.com or 805.748.8636.
