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Through April 26, 2015

The role of art is to make a world which can be inherited.” —William Saroyan 

As part of Fresno’s participation in the worldwide commemoration of the one hundred year anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the Fresno Art Museum presented Tradition, Legacy, Culture, an exhibition that showcased works by internationally and regionally renowned artists of Armenian descent. The artists exhibited included John Altoon, Varujan Boghosian, Ara Dolarian, Charles Garabedian, Arshile Gorky, Khachik Khachatouryan, Ed Marouk, Rueben Nakian, Varaz Samuelian, William Saroyan, and Arminee Shishmanian. The works demonstrated the enduring traditions that have remained prevalent in Armenian art over the centuries and the pride these artists have in their culture.

Images:  John Altoon, Seaview Series, ink and pastel on paper, 1964, courtesy of the Collection of Joan and Jack Quinn, Beverly Hills, CA; Varujan Boghosian, In the Lagoon, paper collage, 2005, courtesy of Lori Bookstein Fine Art, New York, NY


The Fresno Art Museum is grateful to the community for their support of this Commemorative Exhibition.

Principal Sponsor: 

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Exhibition support for 1915-2015: Tradition, Legacy, Culture:

Granville Homes, Roxie Moradian, Anonymous Donor, In Memory of Elizabeth Balakian, Rose Dolarian, United Security Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Yrulegui and Roberts, Attorneys at Law, California State University, Fresno, Kevin and Laura Castanos, Jane M. Cleave, Der Manouel Insurance Group, The Gulesserian Family, Henrietta Hagopian, Bob and Joyce Kierejczyk, Klein DeNatale Goldner, Attorneys at Law, David Nino Farms, Anita M. Shanahan, ValPrint, Larry Balakian, Bluff View Private Preschool, CCIS Insurance Group, Inc., Kaye Bonner Cummings, Karen A. Dorian, Eaton and Gibson Family Fund of the Fresno Regional Foundation, Donald and Anne Franson, Don and Joan Gray, James and Coke Hallowell, Dr. Edward Hanks and Terri Meyers, Harris Real Estate Group, LP, Sue McCline, Paul and Kathleen Mesple, John and Nancy Mengshol, Edward and Irene Peloian, Joe Sciarrone, Arminee Shishmanian, and Miriam Stepanian

Additional Support has been provided by:  Mary Abaci, Donald and Barbara Serimian, Mrs. Beverly Achki, Richard and Joan Ahronian, Howard and Rose Marie Atamian, Shirley A. Bruegman, Steven and Marilyn Fowler, Jack and Lucille Gahvejian, Mark Hagopian, Gladys K. Peters, Joyce Terzian, Tom Tusan, Anonymous Donor, Peter and Cathy Cholakian, Rosemary Cotton, Nat and Ann Dellavalle, Dale and Kandy Garabedian, Roberta Hagopian, Loretta Hutton, Robert and Jackie Manselian, Barbara and Ron Mortanian, In Honor of Arminee Shishmanian


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Through April 26, 2015

The Fresno Art Museum is pleased to present Matt Black:  From Clouds to Dust, an exhibition of 25 black and white photographs, by Valley-native photographer Matt Black. This exhibition is comprised of elements from two separate documentary projects, Kingdom of Dust and People of the Clouds, and chronicles the complex relationship between migrant workers, farming, and the environment in the Central Valley paralleled with the collapse of indigenous farming in the workers’ home region of Mixteca in southern Mexico. From Clouds to Dust examines contemporary rural life and the impact of an environment out of balance on those who rely upon it for their livelihood. The exhibition is presented in collaboration with Anastasia Photo, New York, New York.

Matt Black has been named TIME MAGAZINE'S INSTAGRAM PHOTOGRAPHER OF 2014

Images: Matt Black, Plum Harvest, Kingsburg, CA, 1998, and Villagers Celebrate their Town's Saints Day, San Miguel, Cuevas, MX 2006, archival pigment prints on Museo silver rag paper, courtesy of the artist and Anastasia Photo, New York, NY 


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This exhibition was open through April 26, 2015 for Roberto Matta and Dennis Beall together; exhibition of work by Robert Matta continues through August 2015.

The Abstract Spirit: Etchings from the Permanent Collection showcases works on paper by two exceptional artists: Roberto Matta and Dennis Beall. Chilean-born Matta and American Beall had very different career paths—Matta was a prominent member of the Surrealist movement in New York during the 1940s while Beall was a museum professional and educator in California, as well as a noted Bay Area artist—but both were very experimental in their works, both technically and aesthetically. The pieces selected for this exhibition are wrought with spiritual and mystical significance. Both artists employed a dramatic use of color and organic forms to breathe life onto paper. Matta’s work has a primitive essence, with undulating shapes and sharp lines creating cosmic landscapes that boldly confront the viewer. Beall’s Genesis series is much smaller in scale, each day of creation as a self-contained entity, culminating in the final day with a completely formed world. His forms are jagged and fragmentary, yet full of light, creating richly textured primordial landscapes. Together these two artists present differing interpretations of the mythological elements that unify us as a people.

Images:  Roberto Matta, Untitled from the series: Hom'mere III (L'Ergonaute), 1977, etching with aquatint, 27/100, a gift to FAM from Dr. and Mrs. J.L. Sheehy in memory of Mrs. Sheehy's mother (left) and Dennis Beall, 4th Day, from Genesis Series, 1962, color etching on paper, 18/25, a gift to FAM from Art Prospectors


General Exhibition Support:

Women's Auxiliary of the Fresno Art Museum

Media Partner: 

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