Famed Bay Area artist Joan Brown’s life was as colorful as her art — both are well covered in a new SFMOMA retrospective.
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s online promotion for its Joan Brown retrospective suggests we need an introduction to the Bay Area painter who flourished in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s.
Whether or not museum visitors already know her work, it’s hard to resist paintings of cats and dogs, a watermelon, a Thanksgiving turkey, her son Noel’s first Christmas, and an 8-foot-tall image with a brilliant red background titled “Self-Portrait With Fish and Cat.”“Brown’s life and career were joyfully and productively entwined,” says Nancy Lim, the co-curator of the exhibit, in the show’s catalog.
“Her vision was dismissed as unserious,” Lim says, “but was in fact rooted firmly in intellect and impassioned curiosity.”That intellect and curiosity took Brown far beyond San Francisco’s Marina District where she grew up. She would eventually pursue a spiritual, metaphysical path. In the 1970s she used the proceeds of a Guggenheim fellowship to visit Egypt’s ancient archaeological sites.
In an exhibit that overwhelms most of the museum’s seventh floor, Brown’s signature style kicks in by the third of nine galleries, with such paintings as “Joan, Gordon + Rufus, Front of S.F. Opera House” . It’s a self-portrait based on a photograph of Brown and her third husband, Gordon Cook; she’s added, delightfully, their dog Rufus to the formal setting.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
North Bay firefighters warn of potential mudslides near burn scars ahead of Bay Area stormPreparations are underway ahead of Thursday's storm, as firefighters say there's an increased risk of mudslides and debris flow in areas around the 2020 Glass Fire burn scars.
Read more »
Bay Area arts: 10 shows & concerts to catch this weekendOn tap: SF Opera Adler Fellows perform; world premiere Mahalia Jackson musical; Berkeley Holocaust stage drama; more.
Read more »
I'm sorry New York, the Bay Area bagel hype is realDoes Boichik make a worthy bagel, or is there a … hole … in their argument?
Read more »
Updates: Level 2 storm expected to impact Thursday morning commute in Bay AreaA storm arriving Thursday morning has been upgraded to a Level 2 on the ABC7 Storm Impact Scale. Here's what to know as a messy commute, and flooded roads are expected.
Read more »
7 amazing Bay Area things to do this weekend, Dec. 2-4Got your weekend plans? We have some nifty ideas, from holiday shows and recitals, a reboot of “Willow” and heavenly holiday cookies.
Read more »
Worlds AIDS Day: Events Happening in the Bay AreaIt's World AIDS Day, and activists will be raising awareness about how the disease disproportionately affects communities of color. Here are some events happening in the Bay Area:
Read more »