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Plein Air Painting Donated to Irvine Museum Collection

Plein Air Painting Donated to Irvine Museum Collection

Jeff Sewell, an award-winning contemporary plein air painter, recently donated one of his pieces to the Irvine Museum Collection at the University of California, Irvine. The painting, Catalina Twilight, is 48” by 72” and features a majestic view of the sunset over Santa Catalina Island as seen from Crystal Cove near Laguna Beach. The painting was recently displayed at the Dusk till Dawn exhibition.

The Irvine Museum Collection boasts one of the most extensive collections of California contemporary plein air paintings. Catalina Twilight takes its place among the definitive works by such art luminaries as Jesse Powell, John Cosby, Jim McVicker, Bryan Mark Taylor, Gregory Hull, Rick Delanty, and Dennis Doheny.

Sewell is a signature member of the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association (LPAPA) and serves as its Director of Education and Mentorship. Through a partnership with the Irvine Museum Collection, he has helped launch the Plain Air Project, a program designed to inspire excitement for the visual arts. So far, more than 700 local students have participated.

Jeff Sewell donated Catalina Twilight (background) to the Irvine Museum Collection. From left to right: Russell Penman, James Irvine Swinden, Jeff Sewell, and Jean Stern.

Jean Stern Receives Prestigious French Arts and Culture Award

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Jean Stern, Executive Director of the Irvine Museum Collection at the University of California, Irvine, recently received the prestigious Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) award.

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California impressionism comes to UCI

The Irvine Museum’s collection of California impressionism comes to UCI

Armin Hansen, “The Farmhouse,” c. 1915. The Irvine Museum Collection

Irvine, Calif., Nov. 7, 2016 – James Irvine Swinden, president of The Irvine Museum, has announced the transfer of the museum’s remarkable collection of California impressionist paintings, valued at approximately $17 million, to the University of California, Irvine. The campus’s largest single gift of art to date, this generous donation has initiated the process of constructing a museum at UCI.