Laguna Art Museum

The Laguna Art Museum is an art museum in Laguna Beach in the U.S. state of California. The institution was founded in 1918 is situated high on the cliffs above the Pacific Ocean at the intersection of Cliff Drive and Pacific Coast Highway.

The museum mainly exhibits works of contemporary and modern art. The collection includes approximately 3,500 copies predominantly Californian artists.

History

The Laguna Art Museum was founded in 1918 by a small group of painters as Laguna Beach Art Association. From 1920, Edgar Payne was chairman of the company. The first exhibitions were held in the old Town Hall, until 1929, the company moved to its present location. The branches of the Laguna Beach Art Association in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa and soon became nationwide attention.

On the artist Frank Cuprien initiative was in 1951, an extension will be opened. In 1985, the establishment of the name Laguna Art Museum.

A new era began in 1996, when the Art Museum with the Newport Harbor Art Museum merged. From the merger, the Orange County Museum of Art ( OCMA ) emerged, which is based in the neighboring Newport Beach. Only a year later, the Laguna Art Museum is reorganized as an independent offshoot of the OCMA.

The Laguna Art Museum has predominantly exhibited works of modern and contemporary art since its inception. In addition, a selection of historical paintings is presented through to Pop Art. Other thematic exhibitions supplemented the offer.

Collection

Owned by the Laguna Art Museum are currently more than 3,500 works of art. These include works of modern and contemporary art, as well as historical paintings. The collection includes paintings, sculptures, photographs, drawings, prints, videos and installations from the early 19th century to the present.

The collection places an emphasis on works of California Art. Among them are well-known artists such as John Baldessari, Ferdinand Deppe, John McCracken, Bruce Nauman, Edward Ruscha, and many more represented.