Laguna sculptor Gerard Basil and his exhibit , “ Innocence Lost , Freedom Fading ,” at the gallery
Irvine , announced in 2017 . Those works span from the 1880s to the early 2000s , including many representing California plein air painting as well as modern and contemporary California art . The collection includes works by Richard Diebenkorn , Ruth Asawa , Roger Kuntz , Wayne Thiebaud , Helen Lundeberg and many others .
“ Gerald and Benta Buck were friends of mine ,” Jessen says . “… The Buck collection has been merged with The Irvine Museum collection and will be … [ exhibited ] on the UCI campus in the Langson Institute & Museum of California Art .”
During the most recent sale of the Laguna building , the rest of the Buck collection still housed in the structure was transferred to an off-site storage facility , where the works will be kept when not on display at Langson IMCA ’ s interim location or on loan to other museums . UCI plans to build a permanent museum space on campus focused on California art to serve as a cultural asset and research center for the university and the rest of the region . According to a university spokesman , the museum is reaching out across campus to engage faculty in ways that may lead to new research as well as expanded , enriched or interdisciplinary academic programs predicated on artmaking that is quintessentially Californian .
A NEW VISION Meanwhile , the building at 298 Broadway St . is writing the next chapter of its history . The Honarkar Foundation ’ s goal for the new cultural art space is to host rotating art exhibitions every two to three months .
“ The foundation aims to actively engage the community through museumquality exhibitions that showcase modern and contemporary art from Southern California ,” says foundation Director and Acting Curator Genevieve Williams . “ The significance lies in the building now being used as an exhibition space , accessible to the public for the first time . Our mission also includes providing a platform for artists who may not have other opportunities
to exhibit in Laguna Beach .”
Longtime local artist Jorg Dubin was the first to display pieces at the foundation ’ s gallery . Dubin has lived and worked in Laguna since the 1970s and currently doesn ’ t have a gallery representing him . Other exhibitions have included “ Innocence Lost , Freedom Fading ,” showcasing works by Laguna sculptor Gerard Basil , and “ A Survey of Works ” from the 1960s to 2000s by painter and sculptor Tony DeLap , a pioneer artist of abstractionism , minimalism and “ op ” or optical art , who died in 2019 in Corona del Mar . The most recent show featured select pieces from the 1970s to 2000s by Joe Goode , a pop artist known for his “ Milk Bottle ” series , which set photorealistic depictions of milk bottles against minimalistic backgrounds , and “ Torn Cloud ” paintings , a series of canvases with sections that were cut out and layered for a mix of texture , light and shadow .
In August , a dual exhibition will celebrate two prominent Laguna Beach figures :
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