May 22, 2019 - Wednesday - Today we went to the Hilbert Museum in Orange, CA to see their new exhibit called "Gifted: Collecting the Art of California at Gardena High School, 1919-1956." 2019 is the 100th anniversary of the Gardena High School Art Collection. It includes works by prominent painters of California Impressionism, including William Wendt, Edgar Payne, Hanson Duvall Puthuff, Jean Mannheim, Franz Bischoff, Maurice Braun, Alson Clark, and Marion Wachtel among others. Later works by Hugo Ballin, Loren Barton, Maynard Dixon, Emil Kosa, and Francis de Erdely reflect the influence of the American Scene movement popular during the Depression era as well as the dramatic shifts in style characteristic of the art of the post-war period.
The painting below is the last acquisition of the high school in 1956, after which the program ended.
It's a spectacular exhibit and we were amazed at the ability of these high school students to amass such a collection.
Before the museum, we had lunch at our favorite restaurant in Orange , Taco Mesa.
Judy chose the "Oaxaqueñas Enchiladas" with a Oaxaca cheese blend topped with tomato caldillo sauce, melted cheeses and sour cream.
I had their "Camarones Tampiquenos," which is shrimp sautéed in a cayenne cream reduction, mushrooms, sweet pepper, onion and brown rice.
Between the Hilbert and Taco Mesa, we always enjoy our adventures in Orange.