The Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art Presents California Art Selections

Written by Davis Needham Friday, 23 September 2011 22:34

Malibu, California.- The Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine University is proud to present "California Art: Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation" on view at the museum until December 4th. This exhibition is part of Pacific Standard Time, an unprecedented collaboration of more than 60 cultural institutions across Southern California coming together to tell the story of the birth of the L.A. art scene. Initiated through grants from the Getty Foundation, Pacific Standard Time will take place for six months beginning in October. Pacific Standard Time is an initiative of the Getty Museum.

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 L.A. art collector whose rise as an important patron of the arts paralleled the emergence of the contemporary art scene in Southern California. 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. His collection reflects these personal relationships. This exhibition features works by contemporary California artists from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, ranging in date from the early 1960s through the present. A large number date from the 1970s and 1980s, when the Los Angeles contemporary art scene developed into a vital force and when Weisman was most active as a collector. In keeping with his tradition of supporting local artists, the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation has continued to amass a substantial collection of Los Angeles and California art since his death in 1994.


On view are works by many newer talents, shown in conjunction with the more established figures. Weisman looked upon collecting and the display of his art as a creative act. Rather than arranging works according to the narrow confines of movement, period, or style, he preferred to look for meaningful and thought-provoking arrangements. The current installation adheres to his penchant for exciting and stimulating juxtapositions that invite the viewer to see familiar artists and works in a new light. Weisman was an early supporter of many of the artists who rose to prominence under the legendary Ferus Gallery, established by Walter Hopps, Ed Kienholz, and, later, Irving Blum. Movements from the 1960s are represented by examples of California Pop Art, Hard-Edge Abstraction, Fetish Finish, and Light and Space. Later movements include Neo-Geo and Appropriation. Artists represented in the exhibition include Lita Albuquerque, Peter Alexander, Charles Arnoldi, Billy Al Bengston, Tony Berlant, Bruce Conner, Ron Davis, Laddie John Dill, Tim Ebner, Jack Goldstein, Joe Goode, Tim Hawkinson, Robert Irwin, Craig Kauffman, John McCracken, John McLaughlin, Ed Moses, Ed Ruscha, and many others.

Before his death in 1994, Frederick Weisman was a flamboyant art collector, jetting around the world in a private jet decorated by artist Ed Ruscha, and sitting for an Andy Warhol portrait. After his death, Weisman's legacy was a series of generous gifts to art museums in New Orleans, San Diego, Minneapolis, and at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine University. This simple but spacious 3,000-square-foot facility features changing exhibits that draw from Weisman's significant collection of contemporary art and travelling exhibitions. Past shows have included the work of Marsden Hartley, Italian neo-expressionist Sandro Chia and World War II posters.the museum feature a regularly changing program of exhibitions of contemporary and historic art by California and national artists. Visit the museum's website at ... http://arts.pepperdine.edu

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