Creative California
Whether it’s falling on the golden- hued marina at Diver’s Cove in Laguna Beach, the Pacific Ocean rolling up against Palos Verdes’ sweeping cliffs or the lonely looking San Dimas Train Station at dawn circa 1933, California light carries a beautifully distinct quality.
A bounty of such imagery is on display at Chapman University’s new Hilbert Museum of California Art in Orange.
The collection of 247 works was a gift from Newport Beach’s Mark and Janet Hilbert, who spent 21⁄ decades acquiring more than 1,000 pieces of California art. The Hilberts plan to give their entire collection — valued at more than $ 7 million — to the museum. They also gave $ 3 million toward construction of the building.
The museum, Mark Hilbert said, will present many artists who were also pioneers in the film industry.
“The same artists pushing the limits with what was being done on film were also creating works on canvas and paper,” Hilbert said. “Unfortunately, the focus has mainly been their film work, not their fine art. Our goal was to show and enlighten people about the amazing amount of talent that existed with the California artists that were part of the American Scene movement.”
The museum’s inaugural exhibition, “Narrative Visions: 20th Century California Art From the Hilbert Collection,” features more than 100 works, mostly oil and watercolor paintings created from 1913 to 1989.
“Narrative Visions,” which runs through Dec. 30, includes paintings by Millard Sheets, Emil Kosa Jr., Phil Dike, Milford Zornes and Rex Brandt.
“They capture the California light and the positive, upbeat tone of California, which has always been the land of opportunity,” Hilbert said. “I think they tell an important story about the people and the geography of California. It’s a story of a land of very creative people that brought us Hollywood.”