It was exciting to finally make a visit to the relatively new Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, in Davis. The small museum opened in November of 2016 and I really dig the architecture. The website describes it as "a hub of creative practice for today's thinkers, makers and innovators, now and for generations to come." That describes most museums to me but hey, it sounds fancy, right?
The oddest thing about Manetti Shrem is that the docents, as well as most of the employees, wear lab coats. I don't understand the relevancy unless it's to echo UC Davis' priority in research-oriented programs and the word "research" always conjures up the image of a scientist wearing a labcoat for me. Either way, it's certainly not what I'd expect walking into a center of art. When it comes to the work, it showcases a strong collection that includes the Davis heavy-hitters such as Wayne Thiebaud and Robert Arneson.
Black Valentine by Daniel Shapiro, 1966, acrylic and collage with paper on untempered masonite
The first work I came across was Daniel Shapiro's. I'm intrigued by his use of strong, contrasting values and bold, gestural brush-marks, while using straight lines to attempt to balance out the more organic forms. The biography listed by his work reveals his profession as a teacher at UC Davis. It also has the following quote by him on the role of the artist, that I liked: "As we know, the real artist may be any of many things. But no matter what else his is, I submit that he is at least a searcher for some aspect of human truth." A thought most makers can relate to.
Me with Roland Petersen's Picnic Scene with One Parasol, painted in 1967, oil on canvas
Photo by Polo Lopez
My favorite piece in the small museum is Picnic Scene with One Parasol by Danish-American painter Roland Petersen, who presently teaches at UC Davis. I've seen Petersen's work before and I like the expressive quality of his use of color. Some of the work lends itself towards a more design feel, which I don't always like, but the image of the painting I posted above stays safely away from that. The physicality of the thick paint is applied as if each brush stroke was the first, confident one, and nothing had to be edited. Primarily a figurative painter, Petersen's work reminds me of Manet's paintings in their same sense of casual, society life.
Overall, the Manetti Shrem is a nice addition of culture and history with the work featured. It's still small and I'm sure the art will be rotated in and out frequently to highlight UC Davis' art collection, so I'll definitely be making return trips. The best bonus of the museum? It's free for anyone.
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