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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2010
CONTEMPORARY COLLECTORS CELEBRATE 25 YEARS OF SUPPORTING THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART SAN DIEGO
Three new exhibitions on view now in La Jolla showcase collection highlights in celebration of the silver anniversary of the Museum’s Contemporary Collectors support group
March 3, 2010
San Diego, CA— The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) celebrates the 25th anniversary of its Contemporary Collectors donor group with three new exhibitions—all featuring works from its collection—now on view at its La Jolla location.
In 1985, a handful of passionate collectors began a donor group to support acquisitions at MCASD. From this auspicious beginning, the Contemporary Collectors have grown to become MCASD’s most successful and important support group, along with its sibling group, the International Collectors (founded in 2000).
Thanks to the Collectors’ support, MCASD has added 85 works to its collection—works that were collectively purchased for approximately $2.7 million and that today are valued at over $12.4 million. Many of these acquisitions are now on view in the exhibition, Pleasure Point: Celebrating 25 Years of Contemporary Collectors, which presents many of the major acquisition highlights that these groups have made possible over the past quarter-century.
On view through May 16, 2010, the exhibition’s title takes its name from one of the most ambitious works ever acquired by the Museum, Nancy Rubins’ exuberant site-specific installation Pleasure Point (2006). The show features over three dozen works in all media by both emerging and prominent artists. Photographs by Cindy Sherman, Ana Mendieta, and Yasumasa Morimura push the traditional boundaries of portraiture; videos by Bill Viola, Alan Rath, and Gary Hill explore limits of the body and imagination; paintings by Fred Tomaselli, John Currin, and Robert Colescott are by turns lyrical, provocative, and pointedly political; and installations by Sol LeWitt and Petah Coyne directly engage the architecture of the Museum.
On view through March 21, 2010, is Classic Contemporary: Lichtenstein, Warhol and Friends, which features major Pop, Minimalist, and Color Field works in MCASD’s collection of American Art dating from the 1960s and 1970s. Iconic examples from the Pop Art pantheon such as Ed Ruscha\'s lush, droll painting Ace (1962) and Warhol\'s silkscreen Flowers painting (1967) are juxtaposed with one of Ellsworth Kelly\'s greatest early canvases, Red Blue Green (1963). Sculptural works include Claes Oldenburg’s whimsical Alphabet/Good Humor (1975) and an open-grid sculpture by the seminal conceptual artist Sol LeWitt, Floor Piece #4 (1976). Through these and other works on view, Classic Contemporary showcases the mid-century masterworks that anchor MCASD’s progressive collection.
Also on view through March 21, 2010, artist Erik Levine explores the psychology of competitive sports in his installation Grip (2005), a two-channel, large-scale video projection that reveals a compelling and complex emotional tug-of-war as boys struggle with anxiety through the prism of athletic competition. Levine explains that, “this despair can lead to extreme expressions of anger and frustration at a time in their lives when perspective can often be elusive, and alludes to the startling and revealing analogous microcosm for life outside the demarcations and boundaries of the playing field.”
About the Collectors
Contemporary Collectors, co-chaired by Charles J. Betlach II and Drs. Stacy and Paul Jacobs, and International Collectors, co-chaired by Tanya and Charles Brandes, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, and Dr. Peter C. Farrell, are premiere Membership levels at MCASD. These groups enjoy unparalleled access to contemporary art and exclusive events, including exhibition preview tours with curators, dinners at the homes of other collectors, opportunities to meet artists, and art travel tours with MCASD’s Director and Curators. Each year, the Collectors have the opportunity to select works to add to the Museum’s collection at the Annual Selection Dinner. Together, these groups’ annual dues provide support for MCASD’s operations and art acquisitions.
Exhibition Support
Pleasure Point: Celebrating 25 Years of Contemporary Collectors is organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and is made possible by the Museum’s International Collectors. The exhibition is supported by a generous grant from the County of San Diego Neighborhood Reinvestment Program, at the recommendation of District 3 Supervisor Pam Slater-Price.
Classic Contemporary: Lichtenstein, Warhol and Friends is organized by MCASD and is made possible by a generous gift from Peter and Olivia Farrell.
Erik Levine is organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and is made possible by contributions to the Museum Fund.
Related programs for all exhibitions are supported by grants from The James Irvine Foundation Arts Innovation Fund, the Hearst Foundations, the County of San Diego Community Enhancement Fund, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency.
Institutional support for MCASD is provided, in part, by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.
# # #
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART SAN DIEGO
Founded in 1941, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) is the preeminent contemporary visual arts institution in San Diego County. The Museum’s collection includes more than 4,000 works of art created since 1950. In addition to presenting exhibitions by international contemporary artists, the Museum serves thousands of children and adults annually at its varied education programs, and offers a rich program of film, performance, and lectures. MCASD is a private, nonprofit organization, with 501c3 tax-exempt status; it is supported by generous contributions and grants from MCASD Members and other individuals, corporations, foundations, and government agencies. Dr. Hugh M. Davies is The David C. Copley Director at MCASD.
Institutional support for MCASD is provided by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.
KPBS is the official media sponsor of MCASD.
www.mcasd.org
In 1985, a handful of passionate collectors began a donor group to support acquisitions at MCASD. From this auspicious beginning, the Contemporary Collectors have grown to become MCASD’s most successful and important support group, along with its sibling group, the International Collectors (founded in 2000).
Thanks to the Collectors’ support, MCASD has added 85 works to its collection—works that were collectively purchased for approximately $2.7 million and that today are valued at over $12.4 million. Many of these acquisitions are now on view in the exhibition, Pleasure Point: Celebrating 25 Years of Contemporary Collectors, which presents many of the major acquisition highlights that these groups have made possible over the past quarter-century.
On view through May 16, 2010, the exhibition’s title takes its name from one of the most ambitious works ever acquired by the Museum, Nancy Rubins’ exuberant site-specific installation Pleasure Point (2006). The show features over three dozen works in all media by both emerging and prominent artists. Photographs by Cindy Sherman, Ana Mendieta, and Yasumasa Morimura push the traditional boundaries of portraiture; videos by Bill Viola, Alan Rath, and Gary Hill explore limits of the body and imagination; paintings by Fred Tomaselli, John Currin, and Robert Colescott are by turns lyrical, provocative, and pointedly political; and installations by Sol LeWitt and Petah Coyne directly engage the architecture of the Museum.
On view through March 21, 2010, is Classic Contemporary: Lichtenstein, Warhol and Friends, which features major Pop, Minimalist, and Color Field works in MCASD’s collection of American Art dating from the 1960s and 1970s. Iconic examples from the Pop Art pantheon such as Ed Ruscha\'s lush, droll painting Ace (1962) and Warhol\'s silkscreen Flowers painting (1967) are juxtaposed with one of Ellsworth Kelly\'s greatest early canvases, Red Blue Green (1963). Sculptural works include Claes Oldenburg’s whimsical Alphabet/Good Humor (1975) and an open-grid sculpture by the seminal conceptual artist Sol LeWitt, Floor Piece #4 (1976). Through these and other works on view, Classic Contemporary showcases the mid-century masterworks that anchor MCASD’s progressive collection.
Also on view through March 21, 2010, artist Erik Levine explores the psychology of competitive sports in his installation Grip (2005), a two-channel, large-scale video projection that reveals a compelling and complex emotional tug-of-war as boys struggle with anxiety through the prism of athletic competition. Levine explains that, “this despair can lead to extreme expressions of anger and frustration at a time in their lives when perspective can often be elusive, and alludes to the startling and revealing analogous microcosm for life outside the demarcations and boundaries of the playing field.”
About the Collectors
Contemporary Collectors, co-chaired by Charles J. Betlach II and Drs. Stacy and Paul Jacobs, and International Collectors, co-chaired by Tanya and Charles Brandes, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, and Dr. Peter C. Farrell, are premiere Membership levels at MCASD. These groups enjoy unparalleled access to contemporary art and exclusive events, including exhibition preview tours with curators, dinners at the homes of other collectors, opportunities to meet artists, and art travel tours with MCASD’s Director and Curators. Each year, the Collectors have the opportunity to select works to add to the Museum’s collection at the Annual Selection Dinner. Together, these groups’ annual dues provide support for MCASD’s operations and art acquisitions.
Exhibition Support
Pleasure Point: Celebrating 25 Years of Contemporary Collectors is organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and is made possible by the Museum’s International Collectors. The exhibition is supported by a generous grant from the County of San Diego Neighborhood Reinvestment Program, at the recommendation of District 3 Supervisor Pam Slater-Price.
Classic Contemporary: Lichtenstein, Warhol and Friends is organized by MCASD and is made possible by a generous gift from Peter and Olivia Farrell.
Erik Levine is organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and is made possible by contributions to the Museum Fund.
Related programs for all exhibitions are supported by grants from The James Irvine Foundation Arts Innovation Fund, the Hearst Foundations, the County of San Diego Community Enhancement Fund, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency.
Institutional support for MCASD is provided, in part, by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.
# # #
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART SAN DIEGO
Founded in 1941, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) is the preeminent contemporary visual arts institution in San Diego County. The Museum’s collection includes more than 4,000 works of art created since 1950. In addition to presenting exhibitions by international contemporary artists, the Museum serves thousands of children and adults annually at its varied education programs, and offers a rich program of film, performance, and lectures. MCASD is a private, nonprofit organization, with 501c3 tax-exempt status; it is supported by generous contributions and grants from MCASD Members and other individuals, corporations, foundations, and government agencies. Dr. Hugh M. Davies is The David C. Copley Director at MCASD.
Institutional support for MCASD is provided by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.
KPBS is the official media sponsor of MCASD.
www.mcasd.org