Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation

The exhibition features key works from the permanent collection of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, among them works by legendary artists Ed Ruscha, John Baldessari, and Robert Irwin.

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 of the artists that rose to prominence under the Ferus Gallery, run by Walter Hopps and Ed 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 recognized their significance early on, and continued collecting—later on, with his wife, Billie Milam, a museum professional, now director and curator of the foundation continuing his legacy.

This exhibition showcases 100 works from a wide selection of mediums from iconic and mid-career artists including works from the Finish Fetish movement by Ron Davis and Craig Kauffman whom produced immaculately polished works; and minimalist experiential works by pioneering Light and Space artists Larry Bell and Robert Irwin; sculptures by Lita Albuquerque, Jeff Colson, Tim Hawkinson, Kaz Oshiro, paintings by Sam Francis, Joe Goode, John McLaughlin, photography by David Hockney, Jay Mark Johnson, Melanie Pullen, and new acquisitions by minimalist color field painter Ruth Pastine.

The Weisman’s were committed to the idea that art and artists are of unwavering importance to modern society. The collection contains over 1300 hundred works, which includes many European Modernist, Abstract Expressionist, Surrealist and Pop Art masterpieces. Under the direction of Mrs. Billie Milam Weisman, the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation continues to collect California art and celebrate the cultural legacy of both Frederick Weisman and the West Coast.

Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art
Pepperdine University
24255 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA 90263

Mana Contemporary
888 Newark Ave.
Jersey City, NJ 07306

Mana Wynwood
318 NW 23rd Street
Miami, FL 33127

California Dreaming: Contemporary Art from the Weisman Art Foundation: August 29 – December 10, 2017

Mana Contemporary: January 24 – July 27, 2016

Mana Wynwood: December 3 – 6, 2015

Blue-Orange #2
Interplay Series
2013
Oil on canvas on beveled stretcher

Acquired into Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation permanent collection May 2015