Advance of the Rear Guard: Out of the Mainstream in 1960s California: Ceeje Gallery
By (Author) Michael Duncan
Hirmer Verlag
Hirmer Verlag
14th May 2024
Germany
General
Non Fiction
708.194
Hardback
180
Width 254mm, Height 290mm
1180g
Los Angeles' art of the past is a treasure trove, awaiting full excavation. Hiding in plain sight have been offbeat and lyrical works by an ethnically diverse group of artists who exhibited with a 1960s gallery with an alternative take on the mainstream: Ceeje Gallery, opened as the dream project of Cecil Hedrick and Jerry Jerome. Scratch the surface of Los Angeles art in the 1960s and what you'll discover is much more than Ed Ruscha and Robert Irwin. A range of lesser-known artists reflected the social and cultural changes of that volatile decade. Some of the most out of the ordinary showed at Ceeje, a gallery that focused on painters who shared an expressionist style of mythic figuration and oblique narrative. Known for its inclusiveness, Ceeje included artists from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives, all united in making challenging art oblivious of the commercial market.
Based in Los Angeles, independent curator Michael Duncan has focused on individualistic artists of the twentieth century, West Coast modernism, twentieth century figuration, and contemporary California art. Among many other projects, he was the curator of LA RAW: Abject Expressionism in Los Angeles and Another World: The Transcendental Painting Group.