SUMMER 2011 EXHIBITIONS
May 20 to July 31, 2011

Berkeley Abstract Expressionism, 1955 to 1965

This exhibition included works from four of the pivotal artists from this group: John Haley, Karl Kasten, Erle Loran, and James McCray. They were first referred to as “The Berkeley Abstract Expressionists” in 1937 by Bay Area art critic Alfred Frankenstein.

The primary artistic influence of the 'Berkeley School' group was Hans Hofmann, the German-born painter and teacher who emphasized the abstract qualities of line, color, texture, and space and taught at U.C. Berkeley in 1930 and 1931.

This highly charged group of painters had, by the early 1950's, developed a strong and colorful style of abstract painting, a vivid contrast to the dark style of the San Francisco School of abstract expressionism from the same period.

Beauty of Nature:  Meditations on Line, Shape and Form

This exhibition consisted of Japanese woodcut prints of master artist Bakufu Ohno from the Museum's Permanent Collection, highlighted with creations from the Fresno Ichibana Society. The prints are from Bakufu Ohno's 1938 series “Familiar Fishes of Nippon".These works were donated to the Museum by the Fresno Ichibana Society and will be accompanied by changing floral displays in the Ichibana style.

Copper & Bronze: Elemental Forms

Late 20th Century sculpture from FAM’s permanent collection, including works from Robert Cremean, Clement Renzi, Jacques Lipchitz, Claire Falkenstein, and others.