The California Art Club (CAC) will join forces with the Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University to present the 113th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition in the museum’s recently expanded galleries from August 20 to October 26, 2024.
The nationally prominent showcase of contemporary-traditional fine art features newly created artwork being exhibited for the first time, ranging from pristine landscapes and grittier urban scenes to novel still lifes and evocative figurative paintings and sculptures. Nearly 180 works will be featured, created using time-honored art techniques employed by the pioneering artists who founded the California Art Club in 1909. Those early artists were instrumental in influencing California Impressionism – the first artistic movement defined as purely Californian.
To encourage the 163 exhibiting artists to create their most important works, the Annual Gold Medal Exhibition is unthemed, providing creative freedom to select subject matters that personally resonate with them. The exhibition includes imagery that may be found beyond the borders of the Golden State and provides a revealing exploration of issues facing the global community, from environmental preservation to social interests and cultural perspectives.
“The California Art Club is the nucleus of traditional fine art in the United States, and the celebrated group of painters and sculptors selected for the 113th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition spend most of the year working in anticipation of this event,” said art historian Jean Stern, the nation’s foremost authority on California Impressionism.
“The jurying process for the Gold Medal Exhibition is rigorous and only the very best works are accepted, making this exhibition at the Hilbert Museum an opportunity to view the most exceptional representational works of art being produced today,” added Stern, who served as one of the jurors who reviewed more than 500 submissions for inclusion in the display.
This year’s Gold Medal Exhibition will mark the third time that the California Art Club and the Hilbert Museum have collaborated to mount this hallmark event. The two previous exhibitions – the 109th and 110th installments – were held during the coronavirus pandemic, forcing many art enthusiasts to view those exhibitions virtually.
“The California Art Club is honored that our signature exhibition will be on display at the Hilbert Museum as it celebrates its major expansion, as both organizations share a commitment to shining the spotlight on the rich history of California art,” said CAC president and Gold Medal artist Michael Obermeyer.
The only museum in the world committed to tracing the history of the Golden State from the late 1800s to the present through works by leading California artists and Hollywood studio artists and animators, the Hilbert Museum reopened in February 2024 following a three-year expansion from 7,500 to 22,000 square feet. With the additional galleries and gallery space, visitors to the Gold Medal Exhibition will also be able to view works of historic CAC artists in the museum’s permanent collection, including those of Millard Sheets, whose 1969 mosaic mural titled Pleasures Along the Beach graces the entrance to the building.
“We’re delighted to host the California Art Club’s Gold Medal Exhibition at the expanded Hilbert Museum,” said Mary Platt, who helped guide the expansion project as director. “Our beautifully reimagined galleries provide the perfect setting to show off the work of these extraordinary artists. When combined with the oils, watercolors, illustrations, drawings and other world-class works on view from the 5,000-piece permanent Hilbert Collection, the result is a rare visual treat for the California art connoisseur.”
Educational programs and events offered in conjunction with the exhibition will allow art enthusiasts to meet the participating artists and learn more about traditional art forms. These activities will include the Collectors Preview and Artists Reception on Sunday, August 18; a lecture on California Impressionism by Jean Stern on Saturday, August 24; “Artists in the Gallery” Meet & Greets every Saturday during the exhibition run; and a fun-for-the-family “Paint/Sculpt-Out” on closing day.
For more information about the exhibition and its related programs, visit californiaartclub.org/goldmedal.
