August 04, 2023

Advance of the Rear Guard: Ceeje Gallery in the 1960s

A historical look at one of the most diverse galleries in 1960s Los Angeles.

October 5, 2023 through March 9, 2024

On view at the Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery
ArtCenter College of Design

Opening reception: Thursday, October 5th from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.

ArtCenter Exhibitions is pleased to announce the first comprehensive survey of Ceeje Gallery, one of the most dynamically progressive galleries in 1960s Los Angeles.

Ceeje Gallery was the dream-child of Cecil Hedrick and Jerry Jerome, a gay couple who in 1962 fell into the gallery business through interest in a group of young UCLA graduates that included Charles Garabedian, Eduardo Carrillo, Roberto Chavez and Louis Lunetta. These painters shared an exuberant expressionist style and were interested in myth and oblique narratives. Lance Richbourg, Joan Maffei, Les Biller, Aron Goldberg, Martin Lubner and Marvin Hardin also showed offbeat and lyrical figurative works that fit the eclectic, funky style of the gallery.

Known for its inclusiveness, Ceeje represented artists from a variety of ethnicities and backgrounds. Unlike the largely homogenous lineup of LA-based gallery Ferus, the Ceeje roster included artists across the gender spectrum who were variously Mexican American, Armenian American, African American, Italian American, Asian American and gay. The gallery also presented photographers such as Barbara Morgan and Edmund Teske, who each had solo exhibitions. They showed the “outsider” art of Marcel Cavalla – a retired cake decorator living on Bunker Hill – and Ed Newell – a street person from Venice. All the Ceeje artists made work oblivious of career strategy and the commercial market. The exhibition title refers to a 1964 Ceeje group show titled "6 Artists of the Rear Guard," joking with the contrary nature of the gallery's stable.

While their subject matter couldn't have been more out of fashion at the time, the works of these artists are crucial precedents for later developments in LA art, including the paintings of Chicano artists Gronk, Patssi Valdez, Frank Romero, Gilbert Lujan and Salomon Huerta. The Ceeje work relates as well to the contemporary espousal of expressionistic narrative, humor, and symbolism, evident in artists like Jim Shaw, Nicole Eisenman, Dana Schutz, Kerry James Marshall and John Sonsini.

This exhibition of approximately 100 works by 29 artists fills a significant gap in knowledge about 1960s Los Angeles art. Independent curator Michael Duncan has been working on this exhibition for four years. Duncan is known as a curator of several large historical group shows that examined lesser-known aspects of West Coast art such as “Semina Culture: Wallace Berman and his Circle” (2005); “LA RAW: Abject Expressionism in Los Angeles 1945-1980” (2012); “The Opening of the Field: Jess, Robert Duncan, and Their Circle” (2013) and “Another World: The Transcendental Painting Group.” All four of these exhibitions were accompanied by substantial catalogues.

A significant 185 page catalogue that chronicles the development of this important art breeding-ground will be published by Hirmer Publications in conjunction with this exhibition. A comprehensive essay and artist biographies written by Duncan will provide a fresh look at Los Angeles in the 1960s and reveal the impact and legacy of a heretofore-uncelebrated group of artists. Another essay by Kristine McKenna will contextualize Ceeje Gallery's role in the mid-century Los Angeles arts landscape.

ArtCenter Exhibitions’ presentation of Advance of the Rear Guard: Ceeje Gallery in the 1960s is made possible through the generosity of the Pasadena Art Alliance, Maud Winchester and Lucas Reiner, and an anonymous donor.

Artists in the exhibition include:

Location:
Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery
ArtCenter College of Design
1700 Lida Street, Pasadena, Calif. 91103
exhibitions@artcenter.edu

Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery Hours:
Wednesday to Saturday, 12 p.m. through 5 p.m.

About Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery: The Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery has established a broad reputation for exploring the intersection of science and art. Through a nearly three-decade series of programs and exhibitions, it has contributed to the emergence of an international movement among universities, journals, conferences, artistic studio practices and design strategies that promotes an intensified collaboration between the humanities and sciences.

About ArtCenter Exhibitions: ArtCenter Exhibitions is a program of public-facing curated spaces. Our programs seek to ignite emotional resonance, provoke intellectual dissonance and conjure unexpected pathways of thinking by connecting art and design with the social, scientific, humanitarian and poetic dimensions of our time. Galleries include the Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery at the College’s Hillside Campus, Peter and Merle Mullin Gallery at its South Campus and ArtCenter DTLA in downtown Los Angeles. Additional curated spaces include the Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography Gallery (HMCT) and Hutto-Patterson Exhibition Hall located at ArtCenter's South Campus, as well as the Hillside Campus Student Gallery.

About ArtCenter: Founded in 1930 and located in Pasadena, California, ArtCenter College of Design is a global leader in art and design education. ArtCenter offers 11 undergraduate and 10 graduate degrees in a wide variety of art and design disciplines. In addition to its top-ranked academic programs, the College also serves the general public through a highly regarded series of year-round online and on campus extension programs for all levels of experience. Renowned for both its ties to industry and its social impact initiatives, ArtCenter is the first design school to receive the United Nations’ Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status. Throughout the College’s long and storied history, ArtCenter alumni have had a profound impact on popular culture, the way we live and important issues in our society.

Contact:
Teri Bond
Media Relations Director
ArtCenter College of Design
teri.bond@artcenter.edu
626 396-2385 office
310 738-2077 mobile