Five Artists Who Changed California Art

Five Artists Who Changed California Art

Drucie Belman
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (PT)
Repeats every Thursday until Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025
Price: $165.00
43 slots available
A section of Thiebaud's famous cake painting

In this course, you'll study five artists who came together in the early 1960s and changed the perception of art in California. You'll encounter Wayne Thiebaud, the painter of sumptuous cakes and pies, Robert Arneson, the humorous ceramicist, William T. Wiley, the idiosyncratic draftsman, Roy De Forest, creator of richly colorful paintings, and Manuel Neri, a sculptor of rough, expressive sculpture. Adverse to pretension, these artists generated newfound energy and enthusiasm in California art.


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 202/204, at 1995 University Ave., Berkeley
  • Classes will also stream live simultaneously, and be video recorded
  • You must be a current OLLI @Berkeley member to register. Learn about membership, including our fee assistance program.

Schedule Highlights

  • Course starts on Thursday, Jan. 23 and ends on Thursday, Feb. 27
  • Classes meet for 6 weeks, two hours per session (1–3 PM)
  • All course materials, including videos, will be available to view and enjoy through Mar. 30

Member Praise for Drucie Belman

Drucie obviously loves her subject and her enthusiasm made the course extremely enjoyable.

She was fantastic! Such a delightful presence in the classroom and clearly in love with art.


Faculty Q&A