Bawdy, witty ’60s artists become UC Davis icons
Their common bond was irreverence, questioning the prevailing definition of “art.”
Wayne Thiebaud, Manuel Neri, William T. Wiley, Roy De Forest and Robert Arneson discovered this kinship in the ’60s when they joined UC Davis as lecturers and junior faculty.
Here, they grew into five of the most important artists of their time — and put Northern California, and the UC Davis Art Department, on the art-world map.
Now through Dec. 9, the Richard L. Nelson Gallery (in the Art Building) is exhibiting its largest-ever public show of their work. Free and open to the public, the You See exhibit is a window into the ’60s, the campus's adolescence and the development of a distinctive California art style.
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Learn more about the exhibition and artists
Videos on three artists
- Robert Arneson: Images in and out of Clay. Former Nelson Gallery Director Price Amerson produced this video with UC Davis director John Reed in 1982. Copyright UC Regents
- Windows Media 28 min 49 sec
- Quicktime 28 min 49 sec
- De Forest Discusses His Art. Former Nelson Gallery Director Price Amerson produced this video with UC Davis director John Reed in 1980. Copyright UC Regents
- Windows Media 29 min 27 sec
- Quicktime 29 min 27 sec
- Wayne Thiebaud Interviewed by Price Amerson. Former Nelson Gallery Director Price Amerson produced this video with UC Davis director John Reed in 1982. Copyright UC Regents
- Windows Media 22 min 04 sec
- Quicktime 22 min 04 sec
Trio reminisces
Watch a video about UC Davis emeriti faculty Manual Neri, Wayne Thiebaud and William T. Wiley as they examine the roots of fine art at UC Davis.
Excerpts from You See catalog essays*
- Nelson Gallery Director Renny Pritikin on how it all happened
- Yale Art Gallery Director Jock Reynolds '72 walks down memory lane
- Architectural art historian Simon Sadler on The Palace at 9 a.m.
* Those interested in the full 108-page catalog, priced at $25, can purchase it at the Nelson Gallery, order by phone through Katrina Wong at (530) 752-8500, or online at the UC Davis Bookstore.
ABOUT THE HOME PAGE PHOTO: This is a detail from Wayne Thiebaud’s Celebration Cakes. Thiebaud is UC Davis’ most famous living artist, known for his many experiments within the genre of realistic painting.