FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Crocker Exhibit Shows Return to the Tangible

Posed at Midcentury: Master Drawings by Bay Area Figuratives

June 6, 2006 – Sacramento, Calif. – On view from June 10 – September 3, 2006 at the Crocker Art Museum, the exhibition Posed at Midcentury: Master Drawings by Bay Area Figuratives explores the Bay Area’s contribution to the modern art of drawing. These works show the gesture of Abstract Expressionist painting incorporated in the drawing of tangible forms, thus spawning one of California’s most important art movements.

In 1950, the young painters David Park, Elmer Bischoff and Richard Diebenkorn began to meet weekly to draw from a live model. At this time the practice of figure drawing was considered the domain of Old Masters—regressive during a decade that celebrated pure abstraction. Park, Bischoff and Diebenkorn’s actions, brought painting back to recognizable subject matter. The outcome of their study resulted in paintings with identifiable subjects, created using the color and gesture associated with Abstract Expressionism. Through 15 works on paper, this exhibition provides an intimate look at the characteristic approach to the body that Bay Area Figuration defined.

The life-drawing sessions continued throughout the 1950s and the 1960s. Over the years, artists such as William Brown, Paul Wonner, James Weeks, and later Nathan Oliveira were invited to join the circle. For some, drawing allowed for the honing of subject matter explored more freely in paint, while for others, such as Wonner, drawings often provided the “blueprint” for their painted compositions. The primacy each placed on the study of the human figure is evident in this selection of drawings from the Sacramento collection of Robert Aichele.

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The Crocker Art Museum was founded in 1885 and continues as the leading art institution for the California Capital Region and Central Valley. The Museum offers a diverse spectrum of special exhibitions, events and programs to augment its collections of Californian, European and Asian artworks. The Crocker is located at 216 O Street in downtown Sacramento. Museum hours are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Tuesday – Sunday; Thursday until 9 p.m. For more information on exhibits and events call (916) 264-5423 or visit crockerartmuseum.org.

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Media Contact: LeAnne R. Ruzzamenti
Media: (916) 264-1963
Mobile : (916) 213-9402
Public: (916) 264-5423
216 O Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
www.crockerartmuseum.org