In 2002, The Getty Museum in Los Angeles began a programming series called Pacific Standard Time as an initiative to recover and gather historical records of art in Southern California. Driven by a series of Getty grants, the series grew into a region-wide collaboration among more than 60 cultural institutions in celebration of Southern California’s impact on modern and contemporary art internationally. This unprecedented programming first began with a series of exhibitions and events across Southern California from October 2011 to April 2012 called Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945–1980.
In concert with this initiative series, Henry Segerstrom along with South Coast Plaza, presented an exhibition in 2011 entitled On Display in Orange County: Modern and Contemporary Sculpture. The show told the story of Henry’s impact on the cultural landscape of Orange County and showcased 13 sculptures that Henry commissioned which are now on public view in the South Coast Metro area between South Coast Plaza and the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Among the artists included in the exhibition were Jean Dubuffet, Joan Miró, Aiko Miyawaki, Henry Moore, Isamu Noguchi, Charles O. Perry and Richard Serra. The exhibition’s impact not only placed Orange County on the map for modern and contemporary art in Southern California but also established the region as integrally tied to Los Angeles and the greater narrative of Californian cultural pioneering.
The exhibition’s success made note of Orange County’s integral role within the arts in Southern California, but also made larger note of its visionary – Henry Segerstrom. As a direct result of this exhibition’s acclaim came discussion, development, and the eventual creation of a book by the renowned international publishing house ASSOULINE. Entitled Henry Segerstrom: The Courage of Imagination and the Development of the Arts in Orange County, this unique publication tells the story of Henry’s singular vision for art and culture in the region.
The book’s author Bonnie Rychlak is the former curator of the Noguchi Garden Museum and the Isamu Noguchi Foundation. Rychlak worked for Noguchi personally for thirty years, originally starting her career as his assistant. Rychlak is an expert on Noguchi as well as an artist, independent curator and Visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt Institute in New York City. She currently lives and works in New York.
Henry Segerstrom: The Courage of Imagination and the Development of the Arts in Orange County is available through ASSOULINE online and in bookstores.
BOOK LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY
