FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Artist’s Work Featured After 120 Years

Exhibit and catalogue include recognizable scenes of Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and California Missions

Edwin Deakin: California Painter of the Picturesque on view January 26 – April 20, 2008 

November 1, 2007 – Sacramento, Calif. – Sacramento. Beginning January 26, works by the celebrated California painter will return in a long-overdue, career-spanning exhibition at the Crocker Art Museum. Nearly 50 of his paintings and eight drawings will go on display through April 20, 2008, in Edwin Deakin: California Painter of the Picturesque.

This exhibition presents the works for which Deakin is best known, including landscapes, still lifes and architectural scenes of the American West and Europe. Contrary to the grandiose scenes that were then the norm, Deakin’s quiet landscapes and studies of age-worn buildings embraced the trend toward the picturesque. His depictions of California’s 21 missions epitomize Deakin’s romantic style and are considered his crowning achievement.

“The Crocker Art Museum is one of the primary resources for the study and appreciation of the art of California,” said Scott A. Shields, exhibition curator and author of the accompanying Deakin catalogue. “It is thus exceptionally appropriate that the Museum should exhibit the work of a premier, yet under-recognized California artist, Edwin Deakin.” After showing at the Crocker, much of the exhibition will travel to the Nevada Museum of Art, Reno.

Deakin himself knew the Crocker Art Gallery well and thought highly of it. He visited in 1888, three years after Margaret Crocker donated the gallery building and its collections to the citizens of Sacramento. Impressed, Deakin was warm in his commendation, thinking “the city possessed … a great treasure in such a property.” Nineteen paintings included in the show were recently entrusted to the Crocker by the State of California. A bequest from the Deakin estate, the artist considered these paintings to be among his most significant works and never sold them.

Born in Sheffield, England, Deakin moved to San Francisco in 1870 and spent the majority of his life painting and drawing in the Bay Area. In his own time, as today, his paintings were popular for their beauty and romantic depiction of California’s fleeting wilderness.

EXHIBITION-RELATED PROGRAMS

Saturday, January 26, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Hands-on Art Making
Discovery Museum, Old Sacramento
Create a building inspired by the art and architecture of early California as depicted in the Crocker’s current exhibition, Edwin Deakin: California Painter of the Picturesque. Crocker members receive free admission to the Discovery Museum in Old Sacramento with their membership card (valid January 26 only).

Thursday, February 28, 6 p.m.
Curator’s Eye: Scott Shields & Edwin Deakin
Gain new perspectives on the picturesque still lifes and landscapes of Edwin Deakin as Scott Shields, exhibition curator and author of the accompanying catalogue, gives a tour of the exhibition. Reservations required. To register, contact Stacy Beckley at (916) 808-1182 or sbeckley@cityofsacramento.org by February 26. Free with admission.

Thursday, March 20, 6 p.m.
Lecture: From the Sublime to the Picturesque
Dr. Diana Strazdes, Professor of American Art History at the University of California, Davis, reflects on the transition from “sublime” to “picturesque” landscapes in Edwin Deakin’s work and what it meant not only for California art but American art as a whole. Reservations required. To register, contact Caren Gutierrez at (916) 808-1987 or cgutierrez@cityofsacramento.org by March 18. Free to members, $5 nonmembers.

Sunday, April 13, 1 p.m.
The Legacy of Wine in California
Celebrate the importance of the grape to Californians as Dr. James Lapsley, Professor of Viticulture at the University of California, Davis, presents a history of grapes and winemaking in the state along with a discussion of Deakin’s grape still lifes. A special wine tasting session will follow. Reservations required. To register, contact Caren Gutierrez at (916) 808-1987 or cgutierrez@cityofsacramento.org by April 11. $25 members, $35 nonmembers. 

The Crocker Art Museum was founded in 1885 and continues as the leading art institution for the California Capital Region and Central Valley. The Museum offers a diverse spectrum of special exhibitions, events and programs to augment its collections of California, European and Asian artworks. The Crocker is located at 216 O Street in downtown Sacramento. Museum hours are 10 a.m. –5 p.m., Tuesday–Sunday; Thursday until 9 p.m. For more information on exhibits and events call (916) 264-5423 or visit crockerartmuseum.org.

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Media Contact: Kathleen Conaty
Media: (916) 808-5157
Public: (916) 264-5423
216 O Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
www.crockerartmuseum.org

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Artist's Work Featured After 120 Years

10.12.07
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09.25.07
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09.25.07
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09.04.07
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Crocker Art Book Fair September 8

07.26.07
Crocker Art Museum Breaks Ground on 125,000 Square-Foot Expansion

06.25.07
America’s Most Celebrated Folk Artist Comes to the Crocker

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Rediscover a Sacramento Treasure

06.04.07
Lead Donors to Crocker Expansion Project Announced

05.03.07
Find Love Fast at the Crocker

05.01.07
New Grant Brings Crocker's Education Programs to San Joaquin, Solano & Yolo Counties

03.20.07
Premier Ceramist's Work Joins the Crocker, Featured in Special Exhibit

03.20.07
New Works in Crocker Collection Examine Human Form and Its Condition

02.14.07
Rocklin Residents Enjoy Ansel Adams Photographs for Free
on April 22

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