Llyn Foulkes, <em>For Father W.B.</em>, 1974, Mixed media, 17 x 15 in. The Buck Collection at UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art, ©Llyn Foulkes. Courtesy Sprüth Magers. Joseph Kleitsch, <em>Red and Green</em>, 1923, Oil on canvas, 36 x 40 in. UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art, Gift of The Irvine Museum
Llyn Foulkes, For Father W.B., 1974, Mixed media, 17 x 15 in. The Buck Collection at UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art, ©Llyn Foulkes. Courtesy Sprüth Magers. Joseph Kleitsch, Red and Green, 1923, Oil on canvas, 36 x 40 in. UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art, Gift of The Irvine Museum

What is California Art?

The new UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art brings together two extraordinary legacies of collecting, research, and exhibition—creating one of the most comprehensive art collections in California.

  • Historic Foundations of California Art
    The museum holds over 9,000 works that trace California’s natural environment, cultural identity, and artistic experimentation across generations, spanning from the 19th century to the present.
  • Landmark Contemporary Art Holdings
    The collection preserves and showcases works by some of the most influential California and global artists of the last half-century, including John Baldessari, Joan Brown, Ruth Asawa, Richard Diebenkorn, Catherine Opie, Charles Ray, and Ed Ruscha.
  • The California Biennial Legacy
    As the only regular survey dedicated to California art since 1984, the Biennial has introduced audiences to groundbreaking contemporary voices. Works by Andrea Bowers, Rodney McMillian, Sterling Ruby, Hank Willis Thomas, and many others form a vital core of the collection, with new acquisitions from the 2025 Biennial extending that legacy into the future.
  • UC Irvine Artists and Innovation
    The merged museum deepens its ties to UC Irvine, with significant works from the collection by artists connected to the campus—including Chris Burden, Vija Celmins, Robert Irwin, Alexis Smith, James Turrell, Lita Albuquerque, and Catherine Opie, as well as Daniel Joseph Martinez, Amanda Ross-Ho, and Bruce Yonemoto. This unique relationship strengthens the museum’s role as both a teaching collection and a platform for ongoing collaboration between artists, scholars, and students.
  • Expanding the Canon
    Recent acquisitions add diverse perspectives and new narratives, with major works by Judy Baca, Carlos Almaraz, Sophie Calle, Carolina Caycedo, Derek Fordjour, Noah Purifoy, Helen Pashgian, and Shirin Neshat, among others—ensuring the museum reflects the richness of California art in dialogue with global conversations.

Together, these collections position the museum as a singular cultural resource: a place where past and present meet, and where California’s art history is preserved, studied, and brought into vibrant conversation with the art of today.

With the generous support of its donors, Langson Museum continues to acquire significant works of art adding valuable and complementary texture to the founding collections’ breadth and scope.

Langson Museum is profoundly grateful to all of its supporters whose gifts of art serve to enhance the permanent collection.