"California's Native Grandeur: Preserving Vanishing Landscapes"
2001-11-17 until 2002-04-14
Oakland Museum of California
Oakland, CA, USA

The exhibition features some of the best work of such renowned California painters as William Wendt, Granville Redmond, Maynard Dixon, William Keith, Thomas Hill, Paul Grimm and Guy Rose. The paintings are drawn from public and private collections throughout the state, including several works from the collection of the Oakland Museum of California.

The evocative 19th- and early 20th-century paintings celebrate the states natural scenic and biological diversity. The exhibition portrays the states landscapes, region by region, from the stark beauty of the desert to the South Coast, which is home to more native plant and animal species, and more native species at risk, than any other region in the United States. The exhibition includes biographical information for one significant artist in each of the seven regions depicted. The exhibition is accompanied by an environment of natural sounds from the various regions of the state, produced by the Oakland Museum of Californias Library of Natural Sounds.

Organized by The Nature Conservancy of California in collaboration with The Irvine Museum, the exhibition reflects the Conservancys mission of safeguarding Californias landscapes and native species. The exhibition narrative surveys the accomplishments of the modern conservation movement and underlines the need to act quickly and on a large scale to ensure that much of this diverse and unique environment is not lost forever.

IMAGE
Paul Grimm, Desert Flowers
oil on board
Private collection
Courtesy of The Irvine Museum

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for the State of California

Other Important Exhibitions in Oakland