Esoteric Survey

June Harwood Paintings at  The Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College Although Harwood was a key figure in the West Coast Hard Edge movement, t his is the first museum retrospective of her work . It focuses on various series of her 50 year career. It was  Karl Benjamin, Lorser Feitelson, Frederick Hammersley, and John McLaughlin who received much of the attention in the late 1950s Hard Edge scene. The group became known as The  F our Abstract Classicists, from the 1959 exhibition of the same name. It was Harwood's art critic husband,  Jules Langsner, who not only curated that exhibition but has been credited with the term "Hard Edge." I'm not sure it would be appropriate to call her the fifth Beatle of the Abstract Classicists but she was included in Langsner's  second exhibition,  California Hard-Edge Painting. The show also included  Florence Arnold, John Barbour, Larry Bell, John Coplans, Helen Lundeberg, Dorothy Waldman, and the origina...

 Harrison McIntosh house, designed by Claremont architect Fred McDowell. It was part of a tour by  Claremont Heritage . Ikebana arrangement by my friend Auralynn Nguyễn . In a McIntosh ceramic of course. In addition to the many McIntosh pieces, there are quite of few pieces by Sam Maloof.  Huge lantern by Harrison.    Soleri Bell = In the know . Karl Benjamin house, also by Fred McDowell. This and the McIntosh home are owned by the artist's children. They are doing a wonderful job preserving the legacy and so kind to open up their homes. Another  arrangement by  Auralynn Nguyễn .  This one too. Studies by Benjamin. I was pretty excited to see that Karl Benjamin was a Pacific Iron fan. Milo Baughman I couldn't figure this one out at first. I'm not sure about these pieces in particular but Karl traded a painting for some of his furniture. They made out on that deal.  I'm pretty sure it's this Pacific Iron daybed that has been reconfigured ...

LACMA  has a small but mighty Four Abstract Classicists exhibition up.  All the paintings are part of their permanent collection. This John McLaughlin might be my favorite painting ever. Karl Benjamin,  John McLaughlin and  Frederick Hammersley Frederick Hammersley,  Lorser Feitelson and  Frederick Hammersley x 2 John McLaughlin,  Lorser Feitelson and Karl Benjamin A super sweet Frederick Hammersley Four Abstract Classicists catalog (1959) John McLaughlin (1898-1976) Karl Benjamin (1925-2012) Lorser Feitelson  ( 1898-1978 ) Frederick Hammersley (1919-2009) Big deal modern gallery--Miro, Nuguchi...  Erich Dieckmann chair (Germany, 1930s) This is proof that I look at non-California pieces that were made before the 1940s.  Donald Judd  Judd, with barf.  I guess some people react differently to art.   Peter Voulkos ...

The  preview for the  LAMA   October 7th auction is now open. Here are some of the fine art lots. Sheila Hicks fiber art, Tahoe Wall, 1970 Hicks detail The tanks from Keith Haring's Honda.  I was told they were found in a junk yard. Nice grouping of  work by Ed Ruscha, Karl Benjamin, Frederick Hammersley  and June Harwood   One of the best Karl Benjamin paintings I've ever seen. Untitled, 1958.  Bernard Rosenthal bronze,  Peter Voulkos sculpture, Claude Conover bottle and another  Voulkos. The mother and child on the floor isn't my cup of tea.  The rest of these are pretty sick examples. Huge Peter Voulkos plate... and a little Voulkos cup.  I love those round bits that look they were thrown at the wet clay.  I can just see that madman doing that in the studio.  Richard Pettibone.  It seems like if you buy one, you should buy the...