Enjoy half-price admission in 2018!
Exhibition Opening
André Derain, Still Life with Pumpkin (La Citrouille), 1939. Oil on canvas. SBMA, Bequest of Wright S. Ludington.
Fauvism to Fascism
July 8 – November 11, 2018
The tumultuous period between the two World Wars is the backdrop for this intimately scaled and timely exhibition, which explores the little known relationship between modern art and totalitarianism in the work of the French Fauves, Maurice de Vlaminck (1876–1958) and André Derain (1880–1954). Fauvism was characterized by the use of strident hues applied with gestural brush marks for expressive rather than descriptive ends (derisively described by contemporary critics as the work of “Wild Beasts,” in French Fauves) and was considered cutting-edge art of the most experimental kind at the dawn of the last century. However, both Vlaminck and Derain chose to abandon this affiliation, embarking on divergent stylistic paths that caught the attention and eventually support of the arts administration under the Third Reich. Through a selection of drawings and paintings from the permanent collection, this exhibition explores the way the representation of the human body, both in avant-garde terms, and then, as recontextualized by 1930s National Socialism in Germany, resulted in the coopting of a modernist idiom to advance the political agenda of the Nazis—an association that still sullies the critical reception of both of these artists.
Exhibitions On View
Richard Dunlap, Summer Nocturne, 1977. Tar paper with lacquer and silver leaf. SBMA, Gift of Friends of the Artist.
Summer Nocturne: Works on Paper from the 1970s
June 10 – September 23, 2018
Inspired by several large drawings in the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s permanent collection, this exhibition demonstrates a variety of experimental practices during the 1970s and represents images and issues relevant to contemporary art and culture. Included are works by ten artists: Robert Beauchamp, Huguette Caland, Richard Dunlap, Dane Goodman, Luchita Hurtado, Tom Marioni, Marie Schoeff, Michelle Stuart, Joan Tanner, and John M. White.
Nam June Paik, TV Clock, 1963/1989. Twenty-four fixed-image color television monitors mounted on twenty-four pedestals. SBMA, Museum purchase with funds provided by the Grace Jones Richardson Trust, Lillian and Jon B. Lovelace, Leatrice and Eli Luria and the Luria Foundation, Zora and Les Charles and the Cheeryble Foundation, Wendy and Elliot Friedman, and Lord and Lady Ridley-Tree.
Nam June Paik: “TV Clock”
May 20 – October 14, 2018
Korean-born, American artist Nam June Paik (1932–2006) blazed a trail with video art that remains influential to this day. Paik’s TV Clock, one of SBMA’s most important media art works, is on view for the first time in nearly a decade. TV Clock consists of 24 color televisions mounted upright on pedestals that are arranged in a gentle arc and displayed in a darkened space. Paik created each electronic image by manipulating the television to compress its red, green, and blue color into a single line against a black background. Called a “fixed-image television” by Paik, each TV does not involve a videotape, disc, or computer chip but an image the artist created by ingenious manipulation of electronic elements. Read in sequence, each static line tumbles into the next to form a dynamic yet elegantly spare rhythm that resembles a universally recognized way to measure time. A crucial work in Paik’s long career, TV Clockoffers audiences the chance to experience the art and thought of one of the 20th century’s most innovative and enduringly vital artists.
Claude Monet, Villas in Bordighera, 1884. Oil on canvas. SBMA, Bequest of Katharine Dexter McCormick in memory of her husband, Stanley McCormick.
Highlights of the Permanent Collection
Ongoing
In celebration of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s 75th Anniversary in 2016, this installation highlights some of the most important works of art from SBMA’s permanent collection, as well as several of the most exciting gifts and acquisitions in the areas of modern and contemporary art, photography, and the arts of Asia.
Events
Monday – Friday, June 11 – August 17, 9 am – 3 pm
Summer Art Camps
Ages 5 –12
At Summer Art Camps, children are immersed in hands-on art making, cultural history, and creative problem solving. All camps include a visit to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
$250 SBMA Members/$300 Non-Members (each week)
Register online at www.sbma.net/kidsfamilies or contact Rachael Krieps at 884.6441 orrkrieps@sbma.net.
Thursdays, July 5; August 2; September 6, 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Family 1st Thursdays
Bring the whole family and enjoy 1st Thursday together in SBMA’s Family Resource Center located on the Lower Level. Museum Teaching Artists assist families in creating special exhibition-based art projects. Afterwards, enjoy galleries until 8pm.
SBMA’s Family Resource Center
Free
Saturday, July 7, 6 pm
Ted Nash: Compositions for a Summer Night
As part of a two-week stay as SBMA artist in residence and during a four-day workshop, Grammy award winning musician and composer Ted Nash shared insight and experience with a selection of local students and fellow musicians. Continuing in the vein of his album “Portrait in Seven Shades,” in which he responded to MoMA masterpieces, the workshop focused on improvisation and was inspired by works currently on view in the Summer Nocturne exhibition. The workshop culminates in this free evening performance.
Mary Craig Auditorium
Free
Reserve tickets at the Museum Visitor Services desk or online at tickets.sbma.net.
Sundays, July 8; August 12; September 9, 1:30 – 4:30 pm
Studio Sundays
Visitors of all ages are welcome to participate in this hands-on workshop with SBMA Teaching Artists. Each month explore a different medium, including clay, metal, ink, wood, photography, and paper, and gain inspiration from works of art in the Museum’s permanent collection or special exhibitions.
SBMA’s Family Resource Center
Free
Thursdays, July 12; August 9, September 27, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Sketching in the Galleries
All skill levels are invited to experience the tradition of sketching from original works of art. Museum Teaching Artists or special guests provide general guidance and all materials. Each program is open to 10 participants.
July 12: With artist Marie Schoeff, meet at Murray Street I (1979) in Summer Nocturne
August 9: With artist Dane Goodman, meet at Sunday papers (1975) in Summer Nocturne
September 27: With Museum Teaching Artist, meet in Highlights of the Permanent Collection
Free
To reserve a spot, call 884.6457 or email lvallejo-howard@sbma.net.
Thursdays, July 19; August 16; September 20, 5:30 – 7 pm
Writing in the Galleries
Writers of all levels are invited to participate in this informal exploration of the Museum’s galleries as impetus to writing. Each session is led by a visiting writer/facilitator who begins with a conversation and prompts, partially inspired by works on view. Participants are free to write on their own and then reconvene as a group to share and comment on each other’s work. Please bring a journal or notebook, laptop, or tablet on which to write (analog or digital). Each program is open to 12 participants.
This series is organized by Sameer Pandya who teaches literature and creative writing in the department of Asian American Studies at UCSB. His book The Blind Writer was on the long list for the PEN Open Book Award.
Free
To reserve a spot, contact Luna Vallejo-Howard at 884.6457 or lvallejo-howard@sbma.net
Thursday, August 16, 5:30 pm
The Santa Barbara Art Scene in the 70s: A Conversation
Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Summer Nocturne: Works on Paper from the 1970s, co-moderators SBMA Curator of Contemporary Art Julie Joyce and writer/musician Joe Woodard sit down with artists Dick Dunlap and Joan Tanner to discuss highlights of a historic decade for contemporary art in Santa Barbara. Vintage video clips and images provide context for this anecdotal exchange, which is meant to provide insight into experimental art practices during the 1970s and how they played out in the Santa Barbara art scene.
Mary Craig Auditorium
Free
Reserve tickets at the Museum Visitor Services desk or online at tickets.sbma.net.