Laguna Art Museum has unveiled its latest exhibition, “Brand Spanking New: Freshly Acquired Artwork,” on view until September. A celebration of California art and its history, the collection features 14 recently acquired artworks that represent the essence of the Golden State, spanning from 1835 to the present day.
The Laguna Art Museum traces its roots back to 1918. However, it didn’t develop a permanent art collection until 1940. Today, the collection spans nearly every historical period of California art from 1835 until the present day. This new exhibition aims to express unabashedly Californian ideas including excess, optimism, irreverence and perfection. Many of the artworks tackle the ideas of experimentation, environmentalism and social change.
“We are incredibly grateful for the addition of these 14 works to our permanent collection,” Laguna Art Museum Executive Director Julie Perlin Lee said. “These works embody and preserve the California experience. The transition from private to public is a transformative process for these donated artworks, as they become accessible to all audiences, fostering an educational role within the community.”
“Brand Spanking New: Freshly Acquired Artwork” features a lineup of distinguished artists, including Joseph Birren, Elanor Colburn, Albert Contreras, Scot Heywood, Sandow Birk, Don Bachardy, Tom Wudi, John Baldessari, William Griffith, Buena Johnson, Edward and Nancy Reddin Kienholz, Francis De Erdely, William Wendt and Gunnar Widfoss.
Each artwork displayed in the exhibition was generously donated to the museum, reinforcing its role as a repository of California’s artistic legacy. Chosen for their aesthetic and historical merit, the selected pieces seek to inspire future exhibitions, catalogs and scholarly pursuits.
More information about “Brand Spanking New: Freshly Acquired Artwork at Laguna Art Museum” is available at lagunaartmuseum.org.
