Experience the artistic legacy and unique artifacts on display.
Catalina Museum for Art & History has unveiled its latest exhibition, Lasting Impressions on view now until spring 2024. Lasting Impressions derives its content from the museum's permanent collection, highlighting the breadth of approaches, mediums and time periods that it includes. Catalina Museum also presents Cabinet of Curiosities: 70 Objects for 70 Years commemorating the museum's 70th anniversary with a display of rare and bizarre artifacts. The exhibition is open now through fall of 2024.
"Through the brushstrokes of Lasting Impressions and the captivating artifacts within the Cabinet of Curiosities, we invite visitors to journey through a visual labyrinth of time and creativity,” said Johnny Sampson, Deputy Director and Chief Curator for the museum. “We are delighted to share these unique exhibitions which are a testament to our continued dedication to preserving the art and history of Catalina.”
On view until spring 2024, Lasting Impressions features a collection of more than 100 plein air, still lifes, and figurative paintings selected from the museum's permanent collection. Since its founding in 1953, the Catalina Museum has collected fine art, acquiring and presenting exceptional works for seven decades. While some of the featured artists resided on Catalina, many were visiting artists who found inspiration in the island's natural beauty and small-town charm. Several of the scenes depicted are not of the island, yet each piece resonates with the culture that is uniquely Catalina.
Installed “salon-style,” the exhibition thoughtfully introduces multiple dialogues between the works. It allows opportunities for discovery and reflection, shedding light on themes such as community and isolation, nature and industry and the intricate relationship between place, history and the island's artistic heritage.
Cabinet of Curiosities exhibition, Courtesy of Catalina Museum for Art & History
In honor of its 70th anniversary, the museum invites you behind the curtain to explore the Cabinet of Curiosities: 70 Objects for 70 Years exhibition. Featuring a collection of rare objects found deep within the hidden vaults of the Catalina Museum. Many of the artifacts showcased in this exhibition are so rare they have never been exhibited publicly. Museum guests will witness stories of fantastic feats of human endurance, observe items of implausible ingenuity and gaze upon the artistry revealed through the treasures from the permanent collection.
For more information about Lasting Impressions and Cabinet of Curiosities: 70 Objects for 70 Years at Catalina Museum for Art & History, visit CatalinaMuseum.org/Upcoming-Exhibits. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday and closed on Mondays. For more information about the Catalina Museum for Art & History, visit CatalinaMuseum.org. To stay connected, follow the museum's social media platforms @CatalinaMuseum on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
The Catalina Museum for Art & History offers the best in art and history exhibitions, music and dance performances, lectures by guest speakers from all over the world and the finest in silent, documentary and international film. The museum is located in the heart of Avalon at 217 Metropole Avenue. For more information, the museum may be reached by phone at 310-510-2414 or at its website: CatalinaMuseum.org.
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