LLYN FOULKES BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE LLYN FQULKES BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE Initiated and Sponsored by Fellows ol Contemporary Art Los Angeles California Organized by Laguna Art Museum Laguna Beach California Guest Curator Marilu Knode LLYN FOULKES: BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE This book has been published in conjunction with the exhibition Llyn Foulkes: Between a Rock and a Hard Place, curated by Marilu Knode, organized by Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, California, and sponsored by Fellows of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, California. The exhibition and book also were supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, D.C., a federal agency. TRAVEL SCHEDULE Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, California 28 October 1995 - 21 January 1996 The Contemporary Art Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 3 February - 31 March 1996 The Oakland Museum, Oakland, California 19 November 1996 - 29 January 1997 Neuberger Museum, State University of New York, Purchase, New York 23 February - 20 April 1997 Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, California 16 December 1997 - 1 March 1998 Copyright©1995, Fellows of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without permission from the publisher, the Fellows of Contemporary Art. Editor: Sue Henger, Laguna Beach, California Designers: David Rose Design, Huntington Beach, California Printer: Typecraft, Inc., Pasadena, California COVER: That Old Black Magic, 1985 oil on wood 67 x 57 inches Private Collection Photo Credits (by page number): Casey Brown 55, 59; Tony Cunha 87; Sandy Darnley 17; Susan Einstein 63; William Erickson 18; M. Lee Fatherree 43; Courtesy Patricia Faure Gallery 83; Courtesy Llyn Foulkes 12-21, 54; Courtesy Kent Gallery 14, 25, 37, 77, 79; Otto Nelson 61; Richard Nicol 45, 47, 75; Courtesy Norton Simon Museum 29; Douglas M. Parker 33; Beth Phillips 41; James Prinz 51, 58; Tom Vertebes 20: Robert Wedemeyer 10, 13, 27, 34, 35, 63, 65-72, 81, 85. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Llyn Foulkes : between a rock and a hard place / initiated and sponsored by the Fellows of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, California : organized by the Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, California, p. cm. Exhibition schedule: Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, California, 28 October 1995-21 January 1996 and others Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-911291-24-5 1. Foulkes, Llyn, 1934— Exhibitions. I. Fellows of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles, Calif.) II. Laguna Art Museum (Laguna Beach, Calif.) N6537.F68A4 1995 709'.2-dc20 95-30718 CIP LENDERS TO THE EXHIBITION Six S P O N S O R 'S F O R E W O R D ....................................................................................................................................................Seven DIRECTOR'S ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................................................................................................Eight CONTENTS LLYN FOOLKES ANO THE AMERICAN DREAM ............................................................................................................Eleven by Marilu Knode PLATES ...................................................................................................................................................................Twenty-three with personal readings by Rosetta Brooks WORKS IN THE EXHIBITION .............................................................................................................................. Eighty-eight BIOGRAPHY..........................................................................................................................................................................Ninety BIBLIOGRAPHY......................................................................................................................................................... Ninety-four F E LLOWS OF C O N T E M P O R A R Y A R T ................................................................................................................. Ninety-eight LAGONA ART MOSEOM One hundred four S i x Mrs. Edwin A. Bergman Clyde and Karen Beswick Betty and Monte Factor Patricia Faure Gallery Llyn Foulkes LENDERS TO THE EXHIBITION Geraldine Spreckels Fuller Ruth and Murray Gribin Jones/Faulkner Collection Teri and John Kennady Kent Gallery Laguna Art Museum Elliot Leonard Roger Litz J. Nicholson Norton Simon Museum The Oakland Museum Palm Springs Desert Museum Tom Patchett Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Sarkis Drs. Estelle and Morton Shane Ernest and Eunice White Diana Zlotnick Seven In this, our twentieth anniversary year, the Fellows of Contemporary Art are honored to initiate and sponsor an exhibition of the works of so respected and thought-provoking an artist as Llyn Foulkes. We are pleased, too, to collaborate for the third time with the Laguna Art Museum (Changing Trends: Content and Style: Twelve Southern California Painters, 1982; and Proof: Los Angeles Art and the Photograph, 1960-1980, 1992) as part of our ongoing program of support for contemporary artists and art institutions of California. Llyn Foulkes: Between a Bock and a Hard Place is the twenty-fourth in a SPONSOR'S FOREWORD series of exhibitions sponsored by the Fellows, and the thirteenth Fellows show to feature the work of a single artist. Today, contemporary art forms and their underwriting are the subject of scrutiny and sharp criticism throughout the United States. Privatization is seen as a viable, perhaps inevitable, alternative to public funding for the arts, but at the same time exhibitions and performances are increasingly expensive and complicated to mount. The Fellows have blazed a twenty-year-old trail as independent funders of exhibitions and know well the challenges involved. For these reasons, and in view of the current political climate, we are particularly grateful that this exhibition has been augmented by a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Fellows wish to thank a number of persons who were invaluable in planning and implementing this exhibition. Charles Desmarais, former Director of Laguna Art Museum, and Susan M. Anderson, former Acting Director, guided the show from its infancy, while Director Naomi Vine took in hand a still somewhat unformed child upon her arrival at the Museum in March of 1995. Earlier, the exhibition’s conception took place in the minds of curator Marilu Knode and catalog essayist Rosetta Brooks, who suggested to the Fellows that a one-person show of the work of Llyn Foulkes was long overdue. Within the ranks of the Fellows, Past Chairman Anne Lasell, Long Range Exhibit Planning Chairs Cathie Partridge and Kathleen Reges, and Exhibition Liaison Linda Brownridge deserve special praise. Each applied her extensive knowledge of the art of our time and region to the formulation of Llyn Eight Foulkes: Between a Rock and a Hard Place. Ms. Brownridge followed closely the development of the exhibition, effectively facilitating communication between artist, curator, museum staff, catalog managing editor Sue Henger, designers David Tanimoto and Rose Ornelas, and the Fellows themselves. Research and Fund Development Chair Barbara Cohn was instrumental in gaining the NEA’s interest in the show, while Anne Lasell, Laurie Staude and Gretel Stephens brought their fine editorial skills to the task of proofreading the catalog. Throughout the exhibition’s gestation and birth, Administrative Director Alice Momm provided the unruffled, multifaceted, and thoughtful assistance for which she is well known. We are indebted to all and are delighted with our joint creation, Llyn Foulkes: Between a Rock and a Hard Place. Diane D. Cornwell Chairman, Fellows of Contemporary Art DIRECTOR'S ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Fellows of Contemporary Art have had a profound impact on the cultural life of Southern California, and Laguna Art Museum is honored to join them in presenting this important exhibition. The Fellows have once again demonstrated their dedication to expanding public appreciation and scholarly awareness of the significance of California’s contemporary art. I am particularly grateful to Linda Brownridge and Alice Momm of the Fellows, who have coordinated the efforts of a widely dispersed exhibition team and have made it appear to be an effortless task. Fellows members Cathie Partridge, Anne Lasell, Barbara Cohn, and Kathleen Reges were instrumental in originating the entire project, which would not have been possible without their vision, confidence, and encouragement. It has been a pleasure for us to work with everyone associated with the Fellows of Contemporary Art. In addition to inspiration, the Fellows provided the underwriting to organize this exhibition and Nine publish this catalog. Their generosity is accompanied by a firm belief in Llyn Foulkes’s work and a dedication to excellence. The exhibition is also supported, in part, by a substantial grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Many other individuals have been instrumental in bringing this exhibition about. I wish to thank Charles Desmarais, former Director of Laguna Art Museum, for involving the museum in the organization of this major retrospective, and Susan M. Anderson, former Chief Curator, for admirably overseeing our participation. Marilu Knode, guest curator, and Rosetta Brooks selected the works for the exhibition and contributed to this book. Lynn Allinger-Barr, Lisa Buck, Jennifer Harper, Boiton Colburn, and Serge Armando completed the myriad