Totally 80s: Gifts to the Permanent Collection

Representing past, recent, and future gifts to the Museum’s permanent collection, this exhibition featured an eclectic range of works created in the 1980s – the decade that brought us, for better or for worse, cultural phenomena ranging from Pac-Man and leg warmers to the infamous DeLorean. The installation was comprised of paintings and drawings associated with several notable movements of the decade including Neo-Expressionism, Pattern and Decoration, and appropriation. It also brought together a diverse array of styles and artists: from intimately-scaled works by Susan Rothenberg, Richard Tuttle, as well as Francesco Clemente; to immense paintings by New York artists Richard Bosman, Richmond Burton, and Al Held; along with iconic works by Southern California artists Peter Alexander, Charles Arnoldi, and Jill Giegerich.

The artists represented in the exhibition included: Peter Alexander, Joe Andoe, Charles Arnoldi, Richard Bosman, Richard Burton, Karen Carson, Bruno Ceccobelli, Francesco Clemente, Tim Ebner, R.M. Fischer, Jill Giegerich, Nancy Graves, Al Held, Bruce Robbins, Susan Rothenberg, Donald Sultan, Gary Stephan, Richard Tuttle, and Claude Viallat.