Super Sunday will have an added attraction for art enthusiasts in San Diego. February 5 is also the opening date for “John Baldessari: a Print Retrospective” at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s LaJolla campus. This one-man show focused on prints will demonstrate the many facets of modern printmaking techniques as well as Baldesarri’s California native perspectives.
Baldessarri lived in the San Diego area until 1970. The area is prominently featured in his portraits of contemporary California. San Diego was also the location for his controversial performance art legend, called “Cremation Project.” This took place when Baldessari burned a set of original paintings from the previous decade and published an obituary in the San Diego Tribune. Fortunately, Baldessarri is still alive and producing edgy art featured at major museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, L.A. County Museum of Art, and the Palm Springs Museum of Art.
This new show at MCASD will feature many works in which Baldessari reconfigures human figures to make an observation or provoke thought about contrasts between personal appearance and reality and personal vanity. By drawing upon the personal collection of local arts patron Jordan Schnitzer, the program will also provide a useful example about how to plan and assemble a meaningful art collection focused on the works of a single artist.
“John Baldessari: a Print Retrospective” will open tonight with a special members only preview from seven to nine p.m. The exhibition will continue through May 13. This Tuesday, February 7, the special exhibition will offer the very first presentation of “Introductions.“ This innovative new program will feature gallery walkthroughs with a curator who will offer insider knowledge about the installation process, as well as details about the artists and the exhibitions.
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