Artists in California, 1786-1940, researched and written by Edan Milton Hughes, is now in its third edition. Updated, enhanced and more comprehensive than ever before, the two-volume, hardbound set includes the biographies of nearly 20,000 early California artists. Hughes has donated this, his lifework, along with all future income and publishing rights, to the Crocker Art Museum.

The Crocker Art Museum is honored to be the recipient of this monumental text. In the context of the Crocker's collection and unique history, the book has found the perfect home. In the early 1870s, Judge E. B. and Margaret Crocker were visionary in recognizing the contributions of California's early artists, compiling the core of what is today one of the state's premier collections of 19th-century California art. After the turn of the century, work by the artists that the Crockers had so carefully acquired began to fall out of favor; all but the most famous California artists began to languish in obscurity. Even those that had been famous in their own lifetimes were now considered minor figures. This changed in the 1960s and 70s, when 19th-century American art underwent a new examination and gained national appreciation. Like their eastern counterparts, the contributions of California artists began to be re-examined, and artists slowly reassumed their rightful place in art history.

This resurgence of enthusiasm and scholarship would not have been possible without the contributions of pioneering scholars like Hughes, who were steadfast in their study and appreciation of early California art. Hughes has not only brought to light significant information on California 's premier artists, but in thousands of cases his text has been the sole source of information on those who are lesser known. Many of these individuals might still be unfamiliar today were it not for the foundation provided by Artists in California, 1786-1940.

The two-volume set retails for $150 plus shipping and handling and is sold in the Museum Store or can be ordered by calling 916.808.5531.

Please call 916-808-5733 for wholesale information.