Fine Art PR Publicity Announcements News and Information
Fine Art PR Publicity Announcements News and Information

Long Beach Museum of Art Celebrates 60th Anniversary of Permanent Collection

The Long Beach Museum of Art announce’s that 2010 marks the 60th Anniversary of the Museum’s impressive permanent collection. To celebrate this exciting milestone, the Museum will present an extended exhibition series titled Celebrating Sixty, which will feature eight rotating exhibitions that respectively highlight specific elements of the rich history of the Museum’s collection.

The first installment of Celebrating Sixty will offer a glimpse into the past of the Long Beach Museum of Art when they open to the public on Friday, February 5, 2010. The exhibitions will highlight the extraordinary legacy of the Museum, offering the public an opportunity to view a variety of works from the permanent collection and gain a more thorough understanding of the tremendous impact that the Museum has had on the history of contemporary art in Southern California since 1950. Many of the works presented in Celebrating Sixty have not been seen in decades.

Hans-Burkhardt
Hans Burkhardt, The Final Pilgrimage, 1956. Oil on linen, 32 x 42. Gift of Mrs. Hans G. Burkhardt

The first installment of Celebrating Sixty will open on February 5, 2010 with three captivating exhibitions illustrating art works from 1950—1966. Beginning Our Collection: Selections from 1950 – 1957 will feature approximately 37 works in a variety of media. These paintings, ceramics and photographic prints were some of the first works added to the Museum’s collection. Beginning Our Collection will offer a fitting tribute to the initial establishment of the Museum’s permanent collection, and the humble beginnings from which it grew. This exhibition will close on April 11, 2010.

Open Doors: Selections from Juried Exhibitions 1957 – 1966 will celebrate the many important works that were added to the Museum’s collection as purchase prize winning artworks from juried exhibitions. The Long Beach Museum of Art was one of the few institutions that offered juried exhibitions to local artists, giving Southern California artists exposure not only regionally, but also nationally as exhibitions often toured the country. Open Doors will run through May 2, 2010.

Track Record: Notable Works from 1948-1961 will pay tribute to artists who donated works to the Museum’s permanent collection from exhibitions taking place at the Museum. From the earliest years of collecting and exhibiting works, the Museum has consistently awarded emerging artists their first solo exhibition. Track Record will share this piece of history by presenting approximately 16 works by such esteemed artists Karl Benjamin, June Wayne and Oscar Fischinger. Through April 18, 2010, Track Record will showcase works in a variety of media, including oil, ceramics, charcoal, enamel and other mixed media.

These three exhibitions, highlighting the contributions from the community during the early years of the Long Beach Museum of Art history, will be celebrated on Thursday, March 11, 2010 at a press and patron preview reception from 5:00-7:00 pm followed by our popular LBMA After Dark from 7:00-10:00 pm. Also recognized at this reception will be Sizeable Selections 1960—1976.

Sizeable Selections 1960-1970 will be presented on the first floor of the gallery pavilion from March 5, 2010 through June 6, 2010. This rotation will present large-scale artworks from juried exhibitions in the 1960s and 1970s. Sizeable Selections features works from such esteemed artists as Charles Eames, Hans Burkhardt, Tony Berlant and Karen Carson, among others. Although all exhibitions in the Celebrating Sixty series feature a variety of media, Sizeable Selections pays special tribute to the Museum’s long history of collecting works in all media. The exhibition includes bronze sculptures, lithographs, oil paintings, steel sculpture, ceramic objects, furniture, fiberglass, and enamel.

Long Beach Museum of Art
2300 East Ocean Boulevard
Long Beach, CA 90803
562-439-2119

www.lbma.org