‘California Kinship'
Art museum’s new exhibition explores early 20th century’s evolving concept of ‘the ties that bind’
Sifting through the art collections housed by the UC Irvine Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art, assistant curator Michaëla Mohrmann noticed that a substantial number of works were portraiture – paintings depicting people and scenes of everyday life within the domestic sphere.
To highlight these pieces – many never previously shown – she began piecing together Langson IMCA’s latest exhibition. The first dedicated to portraiture, it delves into the private worlds of Californians, examining how the meaning of “home” shifts during the early 20th century.
“Because the museum is focused on California, it’s gratifying to take a deep dive into the state’s history and mine it for overlooked narratives and perspectives that people don’t typically associate with California art,” Mohrmann says. “I’ve always been motivated to make art histories more inclusive and the narratives more expansive.”
On display from June 7 through Aug. 30, “California Kinship: Painting Homelife in the Golden State Before 1940” comprises 47 works – many belonging to the Gerald E. Buck Collection – exploring the relationship between the domestic sphere and the significant social and economic changes of California’s Progressive Era.
The themes of intimacy and care ground the exhibition, helping to contextualize the pieces within the shifting societal values between 1900 and 1940. As California advances – shown through the presentation of gender roles, economic prosperity and growth, urban development, and culture – the definition of kinship within each portrait expands as well.
“After the Civil War, there’s this need to repair the social fabric and to find ways to create a sense of community across racial, class and regional lines,” Mohrmann says. “So while America is still grappling with its history of racism, the notion of kinship points to the ideals that the country has always sought to celebrate and move toward realizing.”
To guide audiences through these developing ideals, “California Kinship”is divided into three sections by the level of intimacy on display.
The first, “Intimate Interiors,” involves the most direct and personal engagement with visitors, focusing on portraits of individuals in their homes and examining the relationship between the maker of the art and the model. Guests are asked to consider the shared sense of intimacy created through the painting of each portrait and the stories communicated through these glimpses into people’s lives.
“Caring for Others,” the second portion, transitions to group portraits, acknowledging that connection extends beyond the model of the nuclear family. Including images of various cultures, social classes and perceptions of the familial unit – such as Indigenous groups, siblings and single individuals with their pets – this section explores different notions of kinship and belonging that fall outside the traditional European perspective.
“The act of painting commemorates these relationships and family dynamics and a certain set of values,” Mohrmann says. “The portraits themselves are a way of buttressing those relationships and indicating how one wants to be presented to the world. Portraits are very private objects but also public-facing.”
The exhibition’s final part, “The Architecture of the Home,” highlights gardens and suburban dwellings, speaking to the communion with nature and how home facilitates bonding. Placed in conversation with images of the working class and immigrant neighborhoods, the concluding section expands the home into a space for social engagement and connection.
While the portraiture showcases how 20th century policies bled into home life, Mohrmann says, it can still resonate with modern audiences because of its depiction of the human condition amid social tensions.
“A lot of the desires and challenges that characterized the Progressive Era are still with us today – oligarchic power, xenophobia, deportation campaigns,” she says. “There’s a continuity between these two moments in history. And through these works, we can learn from the past to better understand the problems that are still with us today.”
When asked what she hopes visitors will take away from “California Kinship: Painting Homelife in the Golden State Before 1940,”Mohrmann says: “It’s important to see how images come to influence our perception of history. All these images create a narrative to include certain voices, but they don’t tell the whole story. When people see these works, I hope they take the time to dissect the images and understand the underlying message. Every piece has its own take on California history.”
If you want to learn more about supporting this or other activities at UC Irvine, please visit the Brilliant Future website. By engaging 75,000 alumni and garnering $2 billion in philanthropic investment, UC Irvine seeks to reach new heights of excellence in student success, health and wellness, research and more. The Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art plays a vital role in the success of the campaign. Learn more by visiting https://imca.uci.edu/support.