Crocker Art Museum :: Press Releases

Sacramento Native and American Pop Artist Mel Ramos Lectures on the Emergence of Pop Art in the 1960s

Ramos' lecture will be held at the CalPERS office building, Lincoln Plaza North, located one block from the Museum at 400 P Street

August 28, 2008 - Sacramento, Calif. - Celebrated artist and Sacramento native Mel Ramos, whose artwork is featured in the Crocker's American Pop exhibition, will discuss the emergence of Pop Art in the 1960s and its reception then and now on Saturday, October 25, at 1 p.m.

Ramos came to prominence during the Pop Art movement and has since experimented with realist art forms for the past 20 years. His paintings frequently have a humorous, cartoon quality, as revealed in his depiction of well-known superheroes such as Wonder Woman and Captain Midnight. Ramos is also famously known for exploring the world of the pinup and nudes derived from men's magazines, such as Playboy and Penthouse. His paintings of semi-clad and nude women, who pose alluringly beside cigarette boxes, candy bars and ketchup bottles, comment on the depiction of women contrived by mass media and consumer advertising. "I'm apolitical about it," Ramos has replied to critics whom have given him flack for exploiting women. "I'm not embracing it, supporting it, championing that, rejecting that, I'm just observing that it's there and that's the way it is."

American Pop, now on view through November 2, is organized around the special display of Andy Warhol's Athletes Series, and additional works such as that of Ramos, telling the story of how Warhol and other artists made Pop one of the most successful, yet controversial movements of the era.

Ramos' lecture will be held at the CalPERS office building, Lincoln Plaza North, located one block from the Museum at 400 P Street. Reservations are required by October 20. This event is free to Crocker Art Museum members and $5 for nonmembers. To register, call (916) 808-1182 or email education@crockerartmuseum.org.

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 California, 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; 1st and 3rd Thursdays until 9 p.m. Free admission on Sundays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. is made possible through the support of Bank of America. For more information on exhibits and events call (916) 808-7000 or visit crockerartmuseum.org.

Media Contact: Kathleen Conaty
Media: (916) 808-5157
Public: (916) 808-7000
216 O Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
www.crockerartmuseum.org

Join the Crocker’s email press list. To subscribe, contact Kathleen Conaty at (916) 808-5157.