Mana Contemporary is pleased to present Made In California, a star-studded selection of works of West Coast art from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation. A smaller version of the show that debuted as one of three major, comprehensive exhibitions presented at the Wynwood location for Miami Art Week, Made In California is now traveling to Mana Contemporary’s headquarters in New Jersey. The exhibition opens on January 24, 2016, with a reception from 1pm to 6pm.
Presented over two floors of gallery space, Made in California is a selection of key pieces from the collection of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, among them works by legendary artists such as Ed Ruscha and Ed Kienholz. Weisman was a Los Angeles-based businessman whose passion and eye for contemporary art brought him international renown.
Weisman began collecting in the mid-1950s, just as the Los Angeles art scene began to emerge on a national scale. He was an early supporter of many figures who rose to prominence under the Ferus Gallery, run by Walter Hopps and Kienholz. These LA artists were inspired by their daily lives and surroundings — the local terrain, vibrant sun, beautiful sunsets, blue skies, surfboards, and fast, flashy cars of California culture.
Their sphere of influence became known as the Cool School. Weisman continued to collect, later joined by his wife, Billie Milam Weisman, a museum professional and now director of the foundation This exhibition of more than 50 works showcases both a wide selection of mediums and movements, including Finish Fetish, where artists such as Ron Davis and Craig Kauffman produced immaculately polished works; and Light and Space, which produced minimalist, experiential pieces by the likes of Larry Bell. Both iconic and emerging art stars are represented: also on view are works of sculpture (Lita Albuquerque, Gisela Colon, Tim Hawkinson, Kaz Oshiro) painting (Sam Francis, Joe Goode, John McLaughlin), and photography (David Hockney, Melanie Pullen).