“Untitled (butter)” by Robert Gober. Photos by Edward C. Robison III
A diverse exhibition of work spanning American art history from 1915 to 2020 opens at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art on February 28.
Once Upon Now, a group exhibition of highlights from the Art Bridges Collection, weaves together ideas of identity, childhood, and environment through diverse mediums, styles, and cultural contexts.
The exhibition is made possible through a partnership with Art Bridges, whose mission is to bring art out of storage and into communities across America. The Art Bridges Collection represents an expanding vision of American art from the 19th century to present day and encompasses multiple media and voices.
“Through this collaboration, we’re able to bring remarkable works of American art to San Luis Obispo—works that many of our visitors might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience in person,” according to SLOMA chief curator Emma Saperstein. “Presenting Once Upon Now here affirms the importance of access, storytelling, and seeing our own lives and histories reflected in art, right here on the Central Coast.”
Themes of both celebrated and forgotten identities appear throughout—from the mystery of Richard Prince’s “Nurse Elsa” to the individuality of Alex Katz’s “Dark Glasses” and the haunting imagery of Edouard Duval-Carrié’s “Lost at Sea.”
Rachel Rose’s “Lake Valley” recalls the bittersweet nostalgia of childhood, where memories feel both real and imagined. Pop culture and American consumerism are brought into the conversation with Robert Gober’s “Untitled (butter),” which turns the familiar into something strange.
Frank Stella’s maze-like “Cinema de Pepsi Sketch I” and Max Weber’s “Interior with Music” explore color, shape, and detail in bold ways. Félix González-Torres’ participatory work “Untitled (L.A.)” and Alfred Conteh’s “Malik and Marquis” invite reflection on friendship, loss and human connection.
Together, these works explore social issues especially relevant today in the American political landscape—ideas of home, belonging, community, and time.
Presented by the Art Bridges Foundation and Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Once Upon Now will be on display through May 30.