Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art (California)

Not to be confused with the Weisman Art Museum in Minnesota.
Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art
Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art (California) is located in California
Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art (California)
Location within California
Established1992 (1992)
LocationMalibu, California
Coordinates34°02′21″N 118°42′28″W / 34.039266°N 118.707914°W / 34.039266; -118.707914
TypeArt museum
Websitearts.pepperdine.edu/museum

The Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art is an art gallery on the campus of Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.[1] The museum was founded in 1992 with a $1.5 million gift from Frederick R. Weisman, a noted art collector and philanthropist.[2] The museum exhibits art from around the world, but focuses on art from California.

History

Frederick R. Weisman endowed the museum in 1992 with a gift of $1.5 million. Along with his gift, Weisman loaned the museum roughly $3 million of contemporary art from his personal collection.[3] Weisman made his fortune as president of Hunt Foods and as a distributor for Toyota, and he donated to many artistic organizations and charities, including the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation in Los Angeles and the Weisman Art Museum at his alma mater, the University of Minnesota.[4][5][6]

The founding director of the museum was Nora Halpern, who had previously worked as the curator of Weisman's private collection.[7] Following a disagreement with the administration concerning censorship of an exhibit at the museum, Halpern left the university in 1994.[8] In 1995, Michael Zakian was named the new director of the museum,[9] and served the Pepperdine art community for over 25 years before his death on January 14, 2020.[10]

Notable exhibits

The museum has hosted a number of notable exhibits, including Rodin's Obsession: The Gates of Hell in 2001, which featured 30 sculptures by Auguste Rodin;[11][12] Chuck Close: Face Forward in 2015, a retrospective that featured over 70 prints by Close;[13] and Andy Warhol: Life and Legends in 2016, which featured some of Warhol's most famous works.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art". Pepperdine University. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  2. ^ Muchnic, Suzanne (14 August 1992). "$1.5 Million Is Given to Pepperdine : Art: Gift from L.A. industrialist-art collector will benefit year-old space at the university". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  3. ^ Muchnic, Suzanne (28 July 1993). "Weisman: Hometown Boy Makes Very Good : L.A.'s Patron Saint of Art Considers His Philanthropy as He Travels Home to See New Museum". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  4. ^ Muchnic, Suzanne (13 September 1994). "Art Collector and Philanthropist Weisman Dies". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  5. ^ Smith, Roberta (13 September 1994). "Frederick Weisman, 82, Leader In the Business and Art Worlds". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  6. ^ Reinhold, Robert (16 August 1993). "Art Collector, Old and Sick, Is Using Time That's Left to Aid the Homeless". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  7. ^ Godbey, Christina (23 June 1994). "Targeting Enjoyable Art". Los Angeles Times.
  8. ^ Baird, David (2016). Quest for distinction : Pepperdine University in the 20th century. Malibu, California: Pepperdine University Press. p. 525. ISBN 9780997700404. OCLC 953636067.
  9. ^ Pippin, Carly. "The Making of a Museum". newsroom.pepperdine.edu. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  10. ^ Sullivan, Lindsey. "Pepperdine Celebrates the Life of Michael Zakian". pepperdine-graphic.com. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  11. ^ "Rodin sculptures showcased". The Acorn. 25 January 2001. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  12. ^ "Museums: Openings". Los Angeles Magazine. Emmis Communications: 142. February 2001. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  13. ^ Caldwell, Ellen C. (11 March 2015). ""Chuck Close: Face Forward" at Weisman Art Museum". JSTOR Daily. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  14. ^ Giacobbe, Katie (14 January 2016). "Behind the Silkscreen: Exploring the Art of Pepperdine's Warhol Exhibit". Malibu Times. Retrieved 27 August 2019.