15th Annual Art of Painting in the 21st Century
There is so much energy and excitement here at the gallery, as we work to put together the 15th Art of Painting in the 21st Century. Last year we were thrilled to bring back the opportunity for artists at every level to meet and to learn about painting, a great return after the cancellations due to Covid-19. This year, we’re featuring even more painters at the top of their game!
The concept for the conference, which coincides with the exhibition of the same name, originated in response to the thought-provoking New York Times article by Roberta Smith about the supposed “death of painting.” Seeking to engage in the same dialogue with her, we have hosted the annual exhibition and event to discuss the many techniques, media, and subjects that are so central to painting in this millennia. UC Davis has long been a center of artistic creativity, and it was the home institution of artists such as Roy De Forest, Roland Petersen, Wayne Thiebaud, and Robert Arneson. All these artists were instrumental in transforming the art of the West Coast during the 20st century. Today, new generations of artists have emerged that continue to influence and develop traditions.
Over the years, speakers including Enrique Chagoya, Hung Lu, Chester Arnold, Peter Selz, Edward Lucie Smith, and Chris Daubert have all come to share their insights into the contemporary world of painting. The exhibitions have featured artists from across the world, bringing the conversation to a global level.
The exhibition this year will include works by over 30 artists! Not only will the works in the show represent a diversity in subject matter, but the scale will vary an incredible amount, showing how the dimensions of a painting play an important role in communicating a message. The exhibition’s smallest painting, Doug Webb’sHomeland Security, will be a great contract to the largest painting, Judith Linhare’s Woman and Woodpecker.
The 15th Annual Art of Painting in the 21st Century Exhibition features artworks by: Chester Arnold, Sima Jo Benson, James Bland, Alejandro Cortés, Troy Dalton, David Fobes, Adam Forfang, Philippe Gandiol, Boyd Gavin, Laurelin Gilmore, Ian Harvey, Sumire Kudo, Judith Linhares, Pat Mahony, Bill Maul, Eulogia Merle, Danielle Muzina, Jeff Myers, Deborah Oropallo, Avery Palmer, Gabriel Sainz, Patrick Siler, Jerald Silva, M. Louise Stanley, Kati Thomson, Ilaria Rosselli Del Turco, Doug Webb, Deirdre Ferrell White, Seongmin Yoo, Peter Zokosky.
While we have some of the work already here at the gallery, we’re so excited to receive more of the paintings over the next few weeks, before our installation! The show opens on October 2 and will be on view until November 2!
The conference this year, on October 12, will feature a really special group of speakers. Some of the artists have already had decades-long careers, while others are still emerging. This day-long conference is an opportunity to hear from artists who have all developed incredibly distinctive styles. The panel discussion, featuring Maija Peeples-Bright, Patrick Siler, and Laurelin Gilmore will put two artists who have continually painted since the 1960s, and who participated in the irreverent Funk Art Movement, in conversation with an artist whose fantastical paintings expertly captures the beauty of nature. The lectures, by Ian Harvey, an abstract painter and professor at Sacramento State, Danielle Muzina, a feminist figurative painter now living in Cleveland , and Jerald Silva, a watercolorist with an entirely novel trompe l’oeil technique, will all give attendees a totally unique experience. This is a free conference for the first 50 registrants, so if you would like to hear from these artists or if you are curious about painting, sign up now! This is your chance to spend full day learning and talking about all kinds of painting!