Janeane speaks with Susan Davidson, a curatorial advisor to Langson IMCA, and the curator of Picturing Summer. Over her distinguished career as a curator and art historian, Susan has served as a curatorial advisor to the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation and has worked at the Guggenheim Museums (New York, Venice, Bilbao, and Abu Dhabi) and The Menil Collection in Houston.
Newest exhibition, Picturing Summer, opened on July 20 in the interim space at 18881 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 100 in Irvine. Curated by Susan Davidson with interpretive text written by Dada Wang.
The selection of over 30 paintings depicts our state's unique geography and lifestyles across a range of eras and landscapes, ocean views, and leisure activities—all specific to the summer months.
The student Gallery Guides and Visitor Experience colleagues are on site to greet you and introduce you to art-making activities inspired by the artworks on view. Please stop by, say hello, and tap into your own creativity!
Admission is always free—we are open to all—and parking is validated for up to two hours in the adjacent Airport Tower parking structure.
And when you visit, please take a moment to explore our new In Focus gallery, featuring work from The Buck Collection as well as recent art acquisitions. Our new Reading Lounge also awaits you and is ideal for learning more about the artists represented in our collection and their responses to the California experience.
Newest exhibition, Picturing Summer, opened on July 20 in the interim space at 18881 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 100 in Irvine. Curated by Susan Davidson with interpretive text written by Dada Wang.
The selection of over 30 paintings depicts our state's unique geography and lifestyles across a range of eras and landscapes, ocean views, and leisure activities—all specific to the summer months.
The student Gallery Guides and Visitor Experience colleagues are on site to greet you and introduce you to art-making activities inspired by the artworks on view. Please stop by, say hello, and tap into your own creativity!
Admission is always free—we are open to all—and parking is validated for up to two hours in the adjacent Airport Tower parking structure.
And when you visit, please take a moment to explore our new In Focus gallery, featuring work from The Buck Collection as well as recent art acquisitions. Our new Reading Lounge also awaits you and is ideal for learning more about the artists represented in our collection and their responses to the California experience.
Langson IMCA produced a brief video about the exhibition. Get a sneak peak at the in-gallery visuals. The video is produced by Bower Blue and Mike Rosetti.
Langson IMCA, "Picturing Summer" exhibition introduction
ABOUT SUSAN DAVIDSON
As an art historian and curator, Susan Davidson is an authority in the fields of Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, and Pop Art, with an expertise in the art of Robert Rauschenberg. She has been engaged with Rauschenberg’s work since 1990, serving as a curatorial advisor to the artist from 2001 until his death in 2008 and as a board member to the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation from 2009 until 2014.
As an art historian and curator, Susan Davidson is an authority in the fields of Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, and Pop Art, with an expertise in the art of Robert Rauschenberg. She has been engaged with Rauschenberg’s work since 1990, serving as a curatorial advisor to the artist from 2001 until his death in 2008 and as a board member to the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation from 2009 until 2014.
Her numerous exhibitions and publications on the artist include Rauschenberg in China (Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, 2016), Robert Rauschenberg: Photographs 1949–1965 (Schimer/Mosel, 2011), Robert Rauschenberg: Gluts (Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, 2009), Rauschenberg: On and Off the Wall (Musée Contemporain, Nice, France, 2005), Robert Rauschenberg (IVAM, Valencia, Spain, 2005), and Rauschenberg (Palazzo dei Diamanti, Ferrara, Italy, 2004).
She curated with Walter Hopps the definitive Robert Rauschenberg: A Retrospective for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and its international tour (1997–99) and was assistant curator on Hopps’s seminal Robert Rauschenberg: The Early 1950s (The Menil Collection, Houston, 1991).
In her previous role as Senior Curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (2002–2017), Ms. Davidson oversaw the stewardship of the institution’s collection in addition to organizing notable exhibitions that include Jackson Pollock: Exploring Alchemy, 2017; Robert Motherwell: The Early Collages, 2014; John Chamberlain: Choices, 2012; No Limits, Just Edges: Jackson Pollock’s Paintings on Paper, 2005; and Peggy and Kiesler: The Collector and the Visionary, 2004.
In her previous role as Senior Curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (2002–2017), Ms. Davidson oversaw the stewardship of the institution’s collection in addition to organizing notable exhibitions that include Jackson Pollock: Exploring Alchemy, 2017; Robert Motherwell: The Early Collages, 2014; John Chamberlain: Choices, 2012; No Limits, Just Edges: Jackson Pollock’s Paintings on Paper, 2005; and Peggy and Kiesler: The Collector and the Visionary, 2004.
Prior to joining the Guggenheim’s constellation of museums, Ms. Davidson was Collections Curator at the Menil Collection, Houston (1985–2002). She holds advanced degrees in art history from the Courtauld Institute, London, and George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
