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  • Margaret Bruton, Helen at Sargent House Studio
    Margaret Bruton, Helen at Sargent House Studio, circa 1920, Oil on canvas, 40 x 34 in. The Buck Collection at UCI Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art, © Bruton Family Archive, courtesy of Barbara Carroll
  • Helen Bruton, Woman with Turquoise Bracelet
    Helen Bruton, Woman with Turquoise Bracelet, before 1935, Cut ceramic mosaic tiles and cement, 24 x 29 in. The Buck Collection at UCI Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art, © Bruton Family Archive, courtesy of Barbara Carroll
  • The Bruton Sisters (installation view), 2023, UCI Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art, photo by Jeff McLane
  • Esther Bruton, Top of the Tent
    Esther Bruton, Top of the Tent, 1930, Etching, 17 x 14 in. The Buck Collection at UCI Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art, © Bruton Family Archive, courtesy of Barbara Carroll
  • The Bruton Sisters (installation view), 2023, UCI Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art, photo by Jeff McLane
  • Dorr Bothwell, Dreamer
    Dorr Bothwell, Dreamer, 1929, Oil on canvas board, 23 x 20 in. The Buck Collection at UCI Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art, © Courtesy of The Dorr Bothwell Trust and The Mendocino Art Center
  • The Bruton Sisters (installation view), 2023, UCI Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art, photo by Jeff McLane
  • Mabel Alvarez, Still Life
    Mabel Alvarez, Still Life, 1916-1917, Oil on canvas, 16 x 16 in. UCI Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art, Gift of The Irvine Museum
  • The Bruton Sisters (installation view), 2023, UCI Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art, photo by Jeff McLane
  • The Bruton Sisters (installation view), 2023, UCI Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art, photo by Jeff McLane

The Bruton Sisters: Modernism in the Making

Curated by Wendy Van Wyck Good

On view through May 6, 2023

February 4 – May 6, 2023

The important artistic innovations of Margaret, Esther, and Helen Bruton—known collectively as the Bruton sisters—contributed to the advancement of modern art in California. Active from the 1920s through the 1960s, the Brutons embraced a modernist aesthetic, which was characterized by a movement toward abstraction, experimentation with new techniques and materials, and the desire to meld art and life. Each sister pushed boundaries in her chosen medium, yet the Brutons also worked together on large-scale public art commissions.

The Bruton Sisters: Modernism in the Making explores the Brutons’ innovative use of materials, creative approach to design, and collaborative process. A selection of their rarely exhibited paintings, prints, mosaics, terrazzos, and archival materials—paired with art by their Californian contemporaries—demonstrates the Bruton sisters’ impact. Featuring works from Langson IMCA’s permanent collection and loans from museums and private collections, this exhibition is the culmination of new research into the lives and careers of these previously overlooked women artists.

Download Recommended Reading Guide

Descargar texto de la exhibición en español

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MAILING ADDRESS
UCI Jack and Shanaz Langson
Institute and Museum of California Art
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697-1010

INTERIM MUSEUM LOCATION
18881 Von Karman Avenue
Suite 100
Irvine, CA 92612

HOURS
Tuesday – Saturday | 10 am – 4 pm
Sunday & Monday | Closed

949-476-0003
imca@uci.edu

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Langson IMCA’s ongoing collections research continues to provide new information, which will result in updates, revisions, and enhancements to object records. At the time of publication image credits are reviewed by Langson IMCA’s curatorial staff and reflect the most current information the museum has in its database but may be incomplete.