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... AND FRIENDS

to Complement

GORDON WAGNER

(1915-1987)

The Passion of Assemblage

November 17th through December 30th, 2007

Opening Reception: Saturday, November 17th - 12 to 5 pm

Hannelore Baron, Untitled

George Herms, JAKE: For Boehme and Einstein

Californian GORDON WAGNER was a leader in the progression of American assemblage and collage in the 20th century. “My first piece (1950) was a standing piece....a group of balls on a post from a stair balustrade and an old piece of wood. ...The Seven Actors”.   As an traveler and inveterate collector of washed up debris near Redondo and Venice Beaches since childhood, he juxtaposed elements of childhood  with mystical rituals, surrealism and indigenous cultures.

Wagner’s studio was a frequent location for ‘pot luck’ gatherings for Friends.  Betye Saar, John Schroeder, Michael McMillen, Nancy Youdelman, Bruce Houston, Sabato Fiorello were among those who would bring a casserole and a piece or two of ‘extras’ from his/her studio to be added to a pile in the center of the room.  By the end of the evening, all the food had been eaten AND the pile of disparate objects had found new studio homes!   They all shared  wit, social commentary and satirical storytelling with Wagner.  This show hangs pieces by these and other artists of Friends: George Herms, Bruce Houston, Betye Saar and John Schroeder and is further augmented by works by Hannelore Baron, William Dole, Ynez Johnston, Emerson Woelffer, Jay Rivkin, Jules Engel, Werner Drewes and William Dole.

In addition to many other exhibitions, Wagner, McMillen and Saar works were included in Forty Years of California Assemblage at UCLA’s Wight Gallery in 1989.  Wagner also exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC and the Pratt Institute Gallery in New York City and galleries in England, Belgium, The Netherlands and Sweden.  Currently, Wagner’s Between Heaven and Hell and pieces by Betye Saar and Michael McMillen are displayed in LACMA’s “SoCal” show through March 2008.

John Schroeder, Cenozoic Era	Bruce Houston, Pollock & The Hula Girls
William Dole, Near Alegria	Emerson Woelffer, Untitled
Jules Engel, Bees	Jay Rivkin, Le Cathedral de Mona
Increase Robinson, Moonstruck	Betye Saar, Woman with Birds

Click on individual images for more information.

For more images and biographical data, email: tobeymoss@earthlink.net

Also showing:

Gordon Wagner: The Passion of Assemblage