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Abstraction (Spheres)

Oskar Fischinger, Abstraction (Spheres)
Oskar Fischinger, Abstraction (Spheres), 1941, Oil on Celotex, 19 1/4 x 19 1/4 in. The Buck Collection at UCI Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art © Courtesy of the Elfriede Fischinger Trust

Abstraction (Spheres)

Oskar Fischinger

Staff Pick | Monthly Muse December 2020

It may not look it, but this shapely geometric abstraction carries a secret wish. Oskar Fischinger gifted Abstraction (Spheres) to his friend, art dealer Frank Perls, on December 28, 1951, requesting, as written in a note attached to the back of the work, that he “accept the square painting with the red ball as a Christmas present.” What resonates with me about this gift is the statement it makes about the evocative power of art.

Fischinger’s use of form—his dancing orbs that seem to thread between one another like planets in orbit or scattering billiard balls—balances a textured color field with harmonic movement. Yet, the brilliant, glassy red that colors the foremost sphere suggests none other than the ubiquitous ornamentation that crowns the edges of evergreen trees and their plastic facsimiles each winter. I enjoy Fischinger’s lighthearted jest, to see in his deft arrangement of geometry and color contrast the simple pleasure of a merry pun.

Erin Stout
Curatorial and Research Associate, Langson IMCA

In Remembrance of Madeline Martin Swinden

The Institute and Museum of California Art (IMCA) at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) is profoundly saddened by the passing of longtime friend and donor, Madeline Martin Swinden. She was a dedicated volunteer at the museum, known for her generosity and warm hospitality that created a spirit of welcome to all visitors.

She also was extensively involved at UCI, having served as president of the School of Medicine Research Associates, and as an advisory board member of both the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine and the Department of Neurology.

Mrs. Swinden was further active as a volunteer and philanthropist at other cultural and educational organizations in Southern California. She served on the board of the Mission Preservation Foundation in San Juan Capistrano, Kidworks in Santa Ana, and the Crystal Cove Alliance in Laguna Beach. She also chaired the community outreach advisory board of the Joan Irvine Smith & Athalie R. Clarke Foundation.

A native Californian and a resident of Laguna Beach, Mrs. Swinden attended the University of Southern California. She was also a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America and had a five-decade career designing and selling fine jewelry.

Mrs. Swinden is survived by her husband, UCI Foundation Trustee James Irvine Swinden, and their son, James Irvine Swinden, Jr. She left an indelible mark on the museum, UCI, and regional community, and IMCA sends its deepest condolences to her family.

IMCA Announces the Retirement of Jean Stern, Senior Curator of California Impressionism

IMCA Announces the Retirement of Jean Stern, Senior Curator of California Impressionism

The University of California, Irvine’s Institute and Museum of California Art (IMCA) today announced the retirement of Jean Stern, Senior Curator of California Impressionism at IMCA since 2016, effective June 30, 2020. A leading authority on California Impressionism, he is also Executive Director Emeritus of The Irvine Museum (the collection is now part of IMCA) where he served for over 28 years.

Throughout his career, Stern worked to heighten awareness of the school of California Impressionism through a noteworthy series of exhibitions, books, lectures, articles, and video documentaries. He has presented over 250 lectures, and judged and juried more than 100 local, national, and international art competitions.

Stern said, "It has been an honor to help develop our historic art heritage and to work with the staff and with so many dedicated art collectors. As part of the UCI Institute and Museum of California Art, The Irvine Museum Collection will continue to inspire and educate our community as well as generations to come."

IMCA Museum Director Kim Kanatani said, “While we understand Jean’s resolve to direct his passion for and extraordinary command of the history of California Impressionism beyond our campus, we are profoundly grateful to him for his countless contributions to UCI and the field. The IMCA community is indebted to him for his foresight in creating widespread appreciation of the California experience expressed through this unique genre. We wish him all the best with this next chapter of his life.”

To celebrate his legacy, IMCA also announced the launch of the Jean Stern Acquisitions Fund to further deepen its holdings of California Impressionist works. As UCI coronavirus protocols permit, IMCA will host a virtual celebration for Stern and the launch of this initiative in July. His collection building acumen and curatorial insights will remain an integral part of IMCA programming through 2021. When UCI health protocols allow the IMCA to reopen, his curated exhibition, Radiant Impressions, will showcase highlights from The Irvine Museum Collection paired with complementary loaned artworks. The exhibition considers ways the selected artists engaged with light, for its optical qualities and through metaphor where ephemeral moments are infused with meaning.

In 2017, Stern received the prestigious Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French Ministry of Culture. He has also been presented with lifetime achievement awards from the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association in 2013, the Plein Air Painters of America in 2014, and by Plein Air Magazine in 2014. He currently serves on the board of the California Art Club, founded in 1909, and is a board adviser to the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association. Prior to joining the UCI community, Stern directed Jean Stern Fine Paintings, his gallery in Encino.

He received his B.A. from California State University, Northridge, and M.A. in Art History from San Diego State University. His doctoral studies in American Art were conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles.

In Remembrance of Peter Alexander

The University of California, Irvine’s Institute and Museum of California Art (IMCA) and Claire Trevor School of the Arts (CTSA) community mourns the passing of artist Peter Alexander—a Los Angeles native and seminal figure in the Light and Space movement forged in California in the 1960s.

Alexander and UCI had several interactions spanning decades. He was a guest lecturer in the Department of Art in fall 1971 and winter 1972 and previously, as a student of architecture, worked several summers for the office of William Pereira, UCI’s master planner. He would later enroll at UCLA as an art major, where he studied under Richard Diebenkorn, among other California art-world luminaries.

The artist was the subject of a monographic exhibition in 1974, Peter Alexander / Sunsets, presented in the UCI University Art Gallery on campus and organized by Hal Glicksman, then director of the Gallery. The exhibition comprised work based on signature subject matter for Alexander, sunsets, done in photography and pastel and on canvas and velvet. The artist created three lithographs for the selection.

There are seven works in IMCA’s collection that were part of the Gerald Buck bequest—examples of his groundbreaking resin sculptures and vibrant paintings exploring qualities of light, scale, pigment, and materiality.

When IMCA mounted the exhibition First Glimpse: Introducing The Buck Collection, on view from September 29, 2018‒January 5, 2019 in the CTSA, two of Alexander’s works were featured. His powerful urban nightscape Thrasher (1992) was a highlight of the exhibition co-curated by Stephen Barker, dean, CTSA; Kevin Appel, UCI chair, Department of Art and associate director, IMCA; and Cécile Whiting, UCI chair, Department of Art History. There was an artist talk with Alexander and another seminal artist, Chuck Arnoldi, moderated by Professor Appel recorded on November 16, 2018 available on YouTube.

His innovative practice, pioneering spirit, and influence on a generation of artists are indelibly written in the history of California art and remain as a touchstone for remembrance and inspiration.

We send our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.

BlouinARTINFO: Art World News Today

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The well-known museum educator, scholar, and collaborative arts producer Kim Kanatani has been named as the first museum director of the UCI Institute and Museum for California Art (IMCA). The UCI IMCA was established through foundational gifts of art made in 2016 and 2017. Prior to this, Kanatani has served as deputy director and the Gail Engelberg Director of Education at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. Collaborative program development with artists is at the core of her professional practice. Most recently, Kanatani led the Guggenheim Social Practice. It is an initiative that commissions artists to develop new forms of public engagement to address important social values. The inaugural projects featured work by Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Lenka Clayton and Jon Rubin, and Shaun Leonardo. Prior to joining the Guggenheim Museum in 2001, Kanatani was the director of education at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. She will join the University of California, Irvine, in August 2019.

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