The Bay Area Figurative Movement
The work of the Bay Area Figurative Movement represents an important moment in the development of abstract painting after the Second World War, when artists such as Richard Diebenkorn, David Park and Elmer Bischoff, all based in the Bay Area, reincorporated subject-matter into their work in defiance of the pure abstraction favored by the New York School: Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Willem DeKooning, among others. Named after an exhibition held at the Oakland Museum of Art in 1957, and working in a range of genres, from landscape painting to portraiture, the Bay Area Figurative artists created a body of work that is both a tribute to local landscape and culture, representing a formal development of global significance within modern art.
Artists to be discussed: Richard Diebenkorn, Wayne Thiebaud, David Park, Elmer Bischoff, Joan Brown, and Manuel Neri. We will explore each artist and his or her work, but, more essentially, what makes them fascinating and exceptional. No previous knowledge of art is necessary.
Faculty Bio
Drucie Saal Belman has given talks on a range of contemporary artists from Gerhard Richter to Mark Bradford, Joan Mitchell and Team Lab. She has worked as an art consultant in Hong Kong and Paris, and guided groups through SFMOMA exhibits. She graduated from Wellesley College with a major in Art History and continued her studies at the School of Visual Arts in New York.
This is an In-Person, Livestreamed + Recorded Course
- Classes meet in person at the Golden Bear Center, Suite 365, at 1995 University Ave., Berkeley
- Classes will also stream live simultaneously, and be video recorded
- Fee assistance is available if cost is a barrier. Learn more.
Schedule Highlights
- Course starts on Tuesday, Sept. 19 and ends on Tuesday, Oct. 24
- Classes meet for six weeks, two hours per session (1–3 PM)
- Videos will post on Fridays in Member Dashboards
- All course materials, including videos, will be available to view and enjoy through Dec. 31
Faculty Q&A
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Read a recent interview with Drucie Belman about her history and course.