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Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery Open Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays, 11:00 AM until 5:00 PM |
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Celebrating Early California, Western, and American Art 1580 Eastshore Road, PO Box 325, Bodega Bay, CA 94923, 707-875-2911 just around back of the well-reviewed Terrapin Creek Cafe email: Art@BodegaBayHeritageGallery.com | www.BodegaBayHeritageGallery.com (we can open at other times by prearranged appointment) |
Now at the Gallery through April 16, two exhibitions Paintings of the Parks & the Joshua Meador family collection |
Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery Monthly
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February 2010 Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery Monthly | |||
Two Months left to see Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs at SF's De Young |
Kilauea's Halemaumau Crater Home of the Volcano School |
Millard Sheets: The Early Years Pasadena Museum of California Art |
"May I Have This Dance" at Santa Rosa's Charles M. Schulz Museum |
Our Neighboring Galleries |
Museum Exhibits: |
Visit our archives page now offering a "clickable" photo index of previous newsletter articles |
Tutankhamun as King of Upper Egypt |
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Two Months left to see the "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" at SF's De Young |
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You have a rare opportunity between now and March 28th to experience the glorious artistic and historic wonder of royal objects dating back thirty-two centuries from the reign of King Tutankhamun, the boy King of Egypt. Although we don't know the names of the artisans who created these objects, they were among some of the best artistic talents of the ancient world. |
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Perhaps he was fortunate, perhaps not. But the boy King who has achieved an unparalleled level of immortality was elevated to the Egyptian throne in 1332 B.C., at the age of eight or nine. After briefly ruling less than ten tumultuous years, he had the high honor of attending his own lavish funeral and burial. Unlike those of other kings, his tomb remained undisturbed until November 4, 1922, when it was opened by English archaeologist Howard Carter. Since then, the wonders of Tut's tomb have served to teach people of our times about the age of the Pharaohs. He had no heirs to his throne, and leaders who followed him |
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Inlaid Pectoral Spelling out the Name of the King |
Small Statue Shrine Detail |
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attempted to erase his name from history. By doing so, they may have insured that his tomb would remain undiscovered for over three thousand years, but ironically, Tut would in time become the most well known monarch of his age. |
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About twenty years before Tutankhamun ascended to the throne, the heretical pharaoh Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti changed the state religion. They replaced the many familiar gods of Egypt with one god, the sun god Aten. This change brought with it controversy which would affect the Tutankhamun. When he ascended the throne, he annulled the change, returning Egypt to its many familiar gods. He was probably in an untenable position, in that he would create enemies no matter what he did. Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs stops next in New York City at the Discovery Times Square Exposition, May through Dec., 2010. |
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De Young Museum | Back to the Top |
Kilauea's Halemaumau Crater - Home of the Volcano School |
Jules Tavernier (1844-1889) Volcano at Night (c. 1880's) |
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Kilauea was erupting - remote, inhospitable and dangerously dynamic - just the thing for daring landscape painters. For roughly 100 years beginning in 1823, Hawaii's Big Island hosted some of the world's most talented artists. They willingly endured ocean voyages and the three day long horse trek to experience the Kilauea Caldera and its boiling lake of lava in the Halemaumau Crater. Today, these artists are called "the Volcano school," a rare group of painters who ventured to and painted what few would ever see. |
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Kilauea outdoor plaque, Halemaumau eruptions |
Since the end of the one hundred year eruption, Halemaumau has been relatively quiet with a few fits and starts, but nothing like what it had done during the 19th century. Hence, the Volcano school has had few new participating artists since. Dean of the Volcano School was French artist Jules Tavernier. He |
David Howard Hitchcock (1861-1943) Halemaumau Lake of Fire 1888 |
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came to the U.S. in the 1870's and worked as an illustrator for Harper's Magazine. He never returned to his native France, spending the rest of his life in the American West and Hawaii. He died in Honolulu in 1889. David Howard Hitchcock was born in Hawaii, and studied painting in Paris and later with Jules Tavernier. He established a Honolulu studio near that of Jules |
Ernst William Christmas (1863-1918) Kilauea Caldera c.1916 |
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Charles Furneaux (1835-1913) Kilauea |
Tavernier, and between them they sold many volcanic scenes, quite popular at the time.
David Howard Hitchcock died January 1, 1943 in Honolulu, just |
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weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Ernst William Christmas was an Australian born near Adelaide in 1863. He studied painting in Sydney and later in Paris. He traveled widely, and painted the Andes of Argentina and Chile, had a residence for a brief time in San Francisco, and spent the last two years of his life in Hawaii. He died in Honolulu in 1918. Charles Furneaux was born in Boston in 1835. He moved to Hawaii in 1880 and became friends with King David Kalakaua (sometimes called the Merrie Monarch) and other members of the Hawaiian royal family. He received several commissions from the family, and also taught art at the Punahou and St. Albans school. His artistic reputation is mainly for his Hawaiian paintings. His work resides in Honolulu's Bishop Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Iolani Palace in Honolulu. He died in Hawaii in 1913. |
Ogura Yonesuke Itoh (1870-1940) Kilauea 1908 |
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Eduardo Lefebvre Scovell (1864-1918) Kilauea 1890 |
Ogura Yonesuke Itoh was a daring soul. He was born in Japan in 1870, and in 1895, jumped ship in Honolulu and hid from authorities in the Punchbowl Crater. The experience must have made an impression in that he would later become a member of the Volcano School of Hawaiian painters. He is the first Japanese artist to achieve high recognition for his work in Hawaii. His work is similar to that of Jules Tavernier. Itoh left many of his paintings unsigned, perhaps due to his illegal resident status. His work is often displayed at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. He died in 1940. Eduardo Lefebvre Scovell was born in England in 1864. He studied at Eton College and later in Paris. He was also a world traveler, visiting Italy, India, China, Japan, and Brazil. He lived in Hawaii for eight years where he focused his artistic talents mainly on volcano scenes. He was in San Francisco during the 1906 earthquake and like many other artists, left San Francisco for more stable ground. |
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He moved to Los Angeles and remained there until his death in 1918. Born in 1826, the son of an American diplomat in Caracas, Venezuela, William Pinkney Toler was born in Caracas was educated in Washington, DC. At age 14, he joined the Navy and served as a midshipman on the USS United States under command of Commodore Thomas Gatsby Jones. He helped hoist the American Flag at the Custom House in Monterey in 1842. He later landed in Hawaii aboard the USS United States in 1843. During his stay in Hawaii, he made two horse trips to Kilauea to sketch the volcano. He resigned the Navy in 1848, and was present in California for the wave of change brought by the Gold Rush and California statehood. In 1853, he married Maria Peralta whose family owned a large land grant that is now the city of Oakland. He settled in San Leandro, and died there in 1899. Harry Cassie Best is best known for his work in Yosemite. He and his |
William Pinkney Toler (1826-1899) Kilauea Volcano c. 1860's |
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Harry Cassie Best (1863-1936) Halemaumau Crater, Kilauea |
brother Arthur were musicians touring the Northwest. In time, the brothers forsook their musical ambitions for painting. Arthur settled in San Francisco where he established the Best School of Art. Harry Cassie settled in Yosemite Valley where he maintained his studio, and a modest home and gallery. From his Yosemite base, he would travel and paint many parts of the west and he did manage to travel to Hawaii where he painted the Halemaumau Crater. Around the turn of the century, a young man with a Kodak box camera visited Harry Cassie Best in Yosemite because Harry had a piano. The young amateur photographer wanted to become a concert pianist and was in need to practice his skills. Harry showed the young musician to the piano and introduced him to Virginia, his daughter. The young man stayed, married the daughter. In time, he too left his musical ambitions for art. Today, the artistry of Harry's son-in-law defines the photographic arts. When Harry died, Yosemite Valley's Harry Cassie Best Gallery became the Ansel Adams Gallery. Harry died in 1936 in San Francisco. |
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John W. Hilton is a latecomer to the Volcano School. Hilton wasn't born until 1911, after many members of the Volcano School had lived and died. His journey to the Volcano was far less exotic. Rather than a long sea voyage and an arduous multi-day horse journey, Hilton's trip to Kilauea was by jet plane and a comfortable automobile. But he was as much if not more inspired by what he saw. Hilton was present for the 1967 eruption of the Halemaumau Crater, an event lasting only 251 days in which the volcano sprung to life, oozing 400 cubic yards of lava per second and sending flaming fountains of lava 200 feet into the air. Hilton was a multi-talented man. Apart from painting, he was a self trained biologist, botanist, and geologist. In the beginnings of World War II, he assisted General Patton in choosing Mojave desert locations to train Patton's tank core. Hilton mined optical calcite to make effective optical sights for gunners on American planes. |
John W. Hilton (1911-1983) Nascent Lava 1968 (Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery) |
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As an artist, he was near the center of the California Desert School. He painted with many of the California Desert painters, including Maynard Dixon, Jimmy Swinnerton and Clyde Forsythe. He knew the Mojave and Sonoran deserts as well as anyone, and the geology which created them. What a thrill he must have felt to be able to view Pele in all her glory, to be there while Halemaumau was active. Although truly enthralled by the deserts of the American Southwest, Hilton retired in Hawaii. He died in Lahaina in 1983. |
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THE PASADENA MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA ART PRESENTS: Millard Sheets: The Early Years (1926-1944) Main Gallery February 14 – May 30, 2010 |
Video of Millard Sheet's Friends regarding the artist's interest in promoting art among visitors to the Los Angeles County Fair |
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San Dimas Train Station 1933 |
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Drawn from a broad cross section of Millard Sheets' works, this exhibition features some of his outstanding oils, watercolors, drawings and lithographs, some of which have not been viewed publicly since the 1930s. The exhibit features illustration of Sheets' style as |
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California 1935 |
he interpreted the California of the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and the WPA era, emphasizing his influence on artists of his time. The exhibit focuses on pre-war and World War II era works, when Regionalist Art and American scene painting was at its zenith. |
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Spring Street 1930 |
Beer for Prosperity 1933 |
First are oil paintings of the 1920's and '30s done for exhibitions in France and California. The second section presents Sheets' excellent watercolors, today considered the finest Regionalist art produced on the West Coast. Third is a section which illustrates Sheets' changing watercolor style between 1926 to 1944. In the final section, we see watercolors by students of Millard Sheets, works by Milford Zornes, Lee Blair, James Patrick, and Tom Craig. |
Also included in the exhibit are black and white lithographs Sheets produced in France while studying with master lithographer Gaston Dorfinant. During the Great Depression, Sheets expressed positive visions of California, offering scenes of California as a beacon of vibrant light amid the turmoil of the times. In the ten years after the Wall Street crash of 1929, Sheets mounted no less than 42 solo exhibitions, on average about one every three months. But he also had time to teach and promote the California Style Watercolor Movement. He taught at the famed Chouinard Art School, and served as head of the art department at the Claremont Graduate School and developed Scripps College's art department into a major art center. A committed educator, Sheets sought to bring art to people of all backgrounds. He became involved in the Los Angeles County Fair, which brought high quality work to the public, as a teenager when his work was exhibited. In the 1930s, he became director of the Fair and held that position until the 1950s. The curator of this exhibit, Gordon McClelland, is a seminal figure in advancing the field of California Style watercolors; The California Style, California Watercolor Artists, 1925-1955, Gordon McClelland and Jay Last's book, has been the number one reference book for California School watercolor collecting ever since it came out in 1985. The exhibition about Millard Sheets’ early years will present new research and expand upon the visual story of the artist with further analysis of Sheets’ art, life, and the period in which he painted. |
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The Pasadena Museum of California Art | Back to the Top |
Photo and strip courtesy of the Charles Shulz Museum |
"May I Have This Dance" at Santa Rosa's Charles M. Schulz Museum showing January 6 – May 17, 2010 |
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Charles Schulz viewed dance as a wonderful way for his characters to express their unbridled joie de vivre. And why not? Other art forms have shown reverence for dance. Great music has been written for dance, it has been celebrated in paintings by Degas and others, and has been the subject of sculpture and poetry and used effectively in drama. So it was quite fitting for the art of cartooning and the Peaunts characters to tip their hats and cut a rug to dance as well. "May I Have This Dance" features seventy original Peanuts strips with a dancing theme. Almost all of the Peanuts characters have kicked up their heels from time to time. You will see Snoopy's exuberant suppertime dance, his feel good all over happy dance, and even one where Snoopy is dancing with a gracefully falling leaf. As of the time when Charles Schulz retired due to his declining health in 1999, Peanuts was published in more |
A brief video bio of Charles Schulz by biographer David Michaelis (4 min 36 sec) |
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than 2,600 newspapers worldwide. It had grown from its introduction in 1950 when it made its debut in seven newspapers. Why the wide international exposure? Why the success? Why the appeal? Part of the answer is the artistry of Charles Schulz. Every line of every cartoon was drawn by him, and every strip conceived and told by him. Quite simply, his artistry is an expression of his humanity and humor. So stop by and visit Santa Rosa's prize, the Charles M. Schulz Museum. |
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Link to Charles M. Shulz Museum | Back to the Top |
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What's showing at Bodega Bay Galleries & Beyond? click on their links and discover the wonder to be found in the galleries of West Sonoma County |
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While in Bodega Bay ... | ||
IN BODEGA BAY Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery |
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IN BODEGA BAY SMITH & KIRK FINE ART & CUSTOM FRAMING GALLERY Libby Kirk's fused glass, Susan Amalia, encaustic paintings Jean Warren, watercolors, Cynthia Swann, acrylics & Gary Smith's Custom Framing. Also offering works of the late Gail Packer. Conveniently located next to The Ren Brown Collection 1785 A Highway One, PO Box 1116, Bodega Bay, CA 94923 http://www.SmithAndKirk.com | 707-875-2976 |
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IN BODEGA BAY Local Color Gallery |
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IN BODEGA BAY The Ren Brown Collection New Artists, New Acquisitions, New Year through February & Paintings by Robert DeVee http://www.renbrown.com | Back to the Top |
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Liya and Andrew |
And while in Bodega Bay, see paintings by Robert DeVee at The (increasingly popular) Terrapin Creek Cafe "just above Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery" Here's what Santa Rosa's Press Democrat had to say ... "... Against all odds, this little storefront restaurant, in the space that was once the Seaweed Café, perched on a hillside above the Bodega harbor marina, has pulled off a culinary coup. In a Wine Country stuffed with world-renowned restaurants, it is, in a quiet and unassuming way, among the best." |
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And nearby, in Sonoma, Napa & Marin Counties | ||
IN DUNCANS MILLS Christopher Queen Galleries |
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IN DUNCANS MILLS Quercia Gallery |
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IN Santa Rosa The Annex Galleries specializing in 19th, 20th, and 21st century American and European fine prints http://www.AnnexGalleries.com | Back to the Top |
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IN CALISTOGA the Lee Youngman Gallery |
Paul Youngman "Mustard" |
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IN TOMALES Tomales Fine Art |
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IN FORESTVILLE The Quicksilver Mine Co. |
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IN GRATON Graton Gallery |
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IN BODEGA Bodega Landmark Gallery Collection "The Coast, the Hills and the Vines" A group exhibition celebrating the beauty of the Northcoast 17255 Bodega Highway Bodega, California USA 94922 Phone 707 876 3477 http://www.artbodega.com | Lorenzo@ArtBodega.com | Back to the Top |
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IN VALLEY FORD West County Design |
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IN FREESTONE Boho Gallery 463 Bohemian Hwy, Freestone, CA 95472 Phone 707-874-9792 fine art oils, encaustics, collage, ceramics, and jewelry. You'll find romantic wine country landscapes, ocean vistas, animal portraits, and whimsical narrative collages. Artists Jocelyn Audette Michael-Che Swisher Barbara Harvie barbara@bohogallery.com | http://www.bohogallery.com | Back to the Top |
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IN PETALUMA Calabi Gallery Sebastopol's own famed master conservator Dennis Calabi brings his rare knowledge and experience to present a tasteful and eclectic array of primarily 20th century artwork. 144 Petaluma Blvd. North, Petaluma, CA 94952 Call 707-781-94952 http://www.calabigallery.com |Back to the Top |
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IN PETALUMA Vintage Bank Antiques Vintage Bank Antiques is located in Historic Downtown Petaluma, corner of Western Avenue and Petaluma Blvd. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Warren Davis and the rest of the team at Vintage Bank Antiques has assembled a spectacular inventory of paintings. From the 18th Century to Contemporary Artists. We have paintings to suit every price point and collector level. If you have a painting for sale, please consider Vintage Bank Antiques. Contact Warren Davis directly at WarrenDavisPaintings@yahoo.com 101 Petaluma Blvd. North, Petaluma, CA 94952, ph: 707.769.3097 http://vintagebankantiques.com | Back to the Top |
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IN PETALUMA Petaluma Arts Council "... to celebrate local artists and their contributions and involve the whole community in appreciation, involvement and recognition of art Shining Brightly: Tapestry Weavers West Celebrates 25 Years January 10 – February 21, 2010 http://www.petalumaartscouncil.org | Back to the Top |
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And, while on the Big Island, visit these friends of our gallery ... | ||
In Waimea, Big Island, Hawaii Isaacs Art Center visit a superb Museum and Gallery. http://isaacsartcenter.hpa.edu | Back to the Top |
Links to current museum exhibits relevant to Early California Art The Greater Bay Area, Southern California, & Beyond |
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The Greater Bay Area | |||
NEW! in San Francisco's Presidio The Walt Disney Family Museum tickets available online See the February Events Page |
San Francisco de Young Museum "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" "Birth of Impressionism" paintings from Musée d’Orsay opens May 22 |
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San Francisco California Historical Society Think California September 24, 2009- February 5, 2011, an exhibition highlighting the colorful history of California through the institution’s remarkable collection of artwork. |
San Francisco Legion of Honor Very Postmortem: Mummies and Medicine October 31, 2009 — July 4, 2010 |
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San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museum “Our Struggle”: Responding to Mein Kampf February 11, 2010 - June 8, 2010 |
Oakland |
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Santa Rosa Sonoma County Museum Fiber Art by Adela Akers Jan 30 - May 30 Paintings by Martha Shaw Jan 30 - May 30 ArtQuest: A Juried Student Exhibition Feb 5 - Mar 18 |
Moraga |
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Santa Rosa Charles M. Schultz Museum May I Have This Dance? January 6 to May 17, 2010 |
Sonoma Sonoma Valley Museum of Art 551 Broadway, Sonoma CA 95476 (707) 939-7862 Dec 12, 2009 - Mar 14, 2010 Life of Making Celebrates the work and workings of three acclaimed artists who explore the boundary between the act of making and the art of living. Jim Melchert, June Schwarcz, and Kay Sekimachi |
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Sonoma Mission San Francisco de Solano Museum featuring the famed watercolor paintings of the California Missions by Christian Jorgensen |
Ukiah Grace Hudson Museum http://www.gracehudsonmuseum.org CURRENT EXHIBIT Through the Viewfinder: Mendocino Landscapes November 21, 2009 – February 7, 2010 |
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Sacramento Crocker Art Museum Permanent Exhibit, plus " Treasures, Curiosities, and Secrets: The Crockers and the Gilded Age through May 9, 2010" & "Meadows and Mountains: The Art of William F. Jackson" through May 9, 2010 |
Sacramento |
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Monterey Monterey Museum of Art Land & Sea, Paintings and Photographs of Monterey and Beyond January 30-October 24, 2010 MMA Pacific Street |
San Jose San Jose Museum of Art Ansel Adams: Early Works through Sunday, February 28, 2010 |
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Southern California (and Arizona) | |||
Los Angeles Los Angeles Museum of Art Renoir in the 20th Century February 14, 2010–May 9, 2010 American Stories: Paintings of Everyday Life, 1765–1915 February 28, 2010–May 23, 2010 |
Irvine The Irvine Museum Selections From The Irvine Museum, 2009 including Anna Althea Hills October 6, 2009 to February 13, 2009 El Camino de Oro Journey Through Early California Feb 24 - Jun 5, 2010 |
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Santa Barbara |
Palm Springs |
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San Diego San Diego Museum of Art Oceanic Art: A Celebration of Form Through February 28, 2010 Organized by SDMA Oceanic Art: A Celebration of Form presents nearly 100 works of art from the South Pacific Islands ... |
Santa Monica
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Pasadena Norton Simon Museum The Familiar Face: Portrait Prints by Rembrandt December 04, 2009 - March 22, 2010 Permanent collection,European paintings |
Pasadena The Huntington Library American Art Collection Paintings by John Singer Sargent, Edward Hopper, Robert Henri, Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran, William Keith, Mary Cassatt, Thomas Hart Benton and many more. |
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Pasadena Museum of California Art Millard Sheets: The Early Years February 14, 2010 – May 30, 2010 |
Los Olivos Wilding Museum America's Wilderness in Art: A Growing Collection January 13 through March 21, 2010 coming up, Milford Zornes Exhibition March 31 through June 6 |
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Prescott, AZ |
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& Beyond | |||
Seattle, WA Seattle Art Museum Everything Under the Sun: Photographs by Imogen Cunningham July 11, 2009–August 29, 2010 |
Portland, OR Portland Art Museum Permanent Collection |
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Washington D.C. The Renwick Gallery Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Remembering the Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76, A Documentation Exhibition April 2, 2010 – September 26, 2010 Grand Salon Installation—Paintings from the Smithsonian American Art Museum |
Chicago, IL Art Institute of Chicago Permanent collection : Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle: Always After (The Glass House) January 21–May 31, 2010 Gallery 186 |
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Washington D.C. The National Gallery Permanent collection American Paintings |
Atlanta, GA High Museum of Art Leonardo da Vinci: Hand of the Genius October 6, 2009 through February 21, 2010 |
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Cedar Rapids, IA The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art Grant Wood: In Focus is an ongoing permanent collection exhibition. |
Roanoke, VA The Taubman Museum 19th & 20th Century Paintings John Singer Sargent, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, Robert Henri, Childe Hassam & others. Permanent Exhibit |