Appearing from left to right:
John Nava (b.
United States, 1947)
BA 1969 Art, College of Creative Studies
Chemo Portrait (Nancy), 2015
Oil on panel
Promised Gift of the Artist
Richard Hawkins (b. United States, 1961)
Salome
Painting: Green Head, 2011
Oil on canvas
Gift of Marc Selwyn Fine Art, Beverly Hills
The title of this work alludes to the biblical story of
Salome, who infamously appeals for the execution of John the Baptist after
dancing for King Herod on his birthday. While the depiction of Salome
exhibiting the severed head of John the Baptist has been a popular subject in
art through the centuries, Hawkins’ take is particularly novel. Rather than
focusing on the female protagonist, the artist emphasizes the victim’s ghoulish
head, which seems to hover over a smoking barrel.
Like many other examples of Hawkins’ works, this painting
references the subjects’ prevalence in art history and points to the
relationship between desire, sex, and violence.
John Baldessari (b. United States, 1931-2020) and Norman Gollin (b.
United States, 1919-2006)
Flowers
of Life for Central America, 1984
Poster
Gift of Ann A. Schoenfeld
The title of this work refers to a series of cultural
events organized in 1984 by the grassroots coalition, Artists Call. Many well
known artists
participated in programming across art galleries, college libraries, churches,
and recreational centers in Southern California to protest the United States’
interference in Central American affairs. This political poster, which serves
as an admonishment of foreign policy under the Reagan administration, is
composed of repetitive horizontal bands juxtaposing the image of a naked corpse
with a military leader in full uniform.
Alison Saar (b.
United States, 1956)
Woodblock print
Estate of Frances Garvin and Keith Julius Puccinelli