September 30, 2021 - April 2, 2022
Joan Agajanian Quinn and her late husband Jack represent a key moment in the history of contemporary art, as Los Angeles came to symbolize an innovative and prolific brand of creative freedom. Few individuals have left such an indelible mark on the artistic landscape of Southern California more than Joan and Jack Quinn. Joan found herself both muse and promoter of several Southern California artists, while Jack used his skills as a prominent and influential attorney to help an array of emerging artists and their dealers navigate the worlds of law and business.
Known for her charisma, intelligence and incomparable flamboyance, Joan Agajanian Quinn has served as inspiration for artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe, Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Hockney, Ed Ruscha, Zandra Rhodes, Larry Bell, Frank Gehry, Ed Moses, Helmut Newton, Billy Al Bengston, Antonio Lopez and many others. As artists sought to record her image across a variety of media, Joan Quinn found herself with one of the world’s largest and significant collections of contemporary portraiture — a poignant representation of friendship, appreciation, and respect.
This exhibition highlights the couple’s collection primarily amassed from the 1970s to 1990s. Much of the work was collected directly from the artists and has never changed hands or been shown publicly. Works in the exhibition will explore various themes such as Ferus Group “Cool School,” Gagosian, female artists, Finish Fetish, Documentary, Light and Space/Minimalism, Chicano Art, Pop Art, nature vs. urban landscape, and international artists and influences.
Introduction
BMoA Curator of Collections and Exhibition Rachel McCullah Wainwright introduces viewers to the history and relationships that form the Quinn family collection and its significance to the history of West Coast artmaking.
Artist Symposium
Exhibiting artists share their experience of working in Los Angeles during the transformative decades surveyed in On the Edge.
Steven Arnold Panel Discussion
Watch an online conversation about the impact on contemporary film made by On the Edge exhibiting artist and Salvador Dali protege Steven Arnold.
Panelists: Vishnu Dass, Director of the Steven Arnold Archives and the film Steven Arnold: Heavenly Bodies; Stephen Jerome, society photographer for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, pianist/composer, and novelist; and Michael Greg Michaud, an award-winning Hollywood biographer who appeared in Steven Arnold, Heavenly Bodies.
Virtual Tour
View On the Edge by clicking the image. When viewing on a mobile device, rotate your device to landscape view for the best viewing experience.
Podcast
Listen to conversations with collector Joan Agajanian Quinn and exhibiting artists from On the Edge. New episodes available on the second Saturday of the month, through April 2022.
Webinar
Recording from March 4, 2022
Join Liza Kirwin, Interim Director, Archives of American Art, and Rachel McCullah Wainwright, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, Bakersfield Museum of Art, with Joan Agajanian Quinn, Journalist and Collector, and Amanda Quinn Olivar, Journalist and Archives of American Art Trustee, for a special tour of "On the Edge: Los Angeles Art, 1970s–1990s, from the Joan and Jack Quinn Family Collection".
Exhibiting Artists
Lita Albuquerque
Peter Alexander
Carlos Almaraz
Elsa Flores Almaraz
John Altoon
Steven Arnold
Charles Arnoldi
Don Bachardy
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Larry Bell
Lynda Benglis
Billy Al Bengston
Tony Berlant
Richard Bernstein
Derek Boshier
Lee Brevard
Huguette Caland
Carole Caroompas
Tommy Carraway
Vija Celmins
Greg Colson
Ron Cooper
Ron Davis
Woods Davy
Dora De Larios
Roy De Forest
Tony Delap
Richard Diebenkorn
Laddie John Dill
Robert Dowd
Gregory Wiley Edwards
Marie Lalanne Elfman
Ned Evans
Shepard Fairey
Claire Falkenstein
Joe Fay
Jud Fine
Jim Ganzer
Charles Garabedian
Frank Gehry
Joe Goode
Robert Graham
Chaz Guest
Chris Gulker
Chris Hartunian
James Hayward
George Herms
David Hockney
Edward Kienholz
E.F. Kitchen
Jim McHugh
Andy Moses
Ed Moses
Gwynn Murrill
Helmut Newton
Ara Oshagan
Astrid Preston
Ken Price
Mel Ramos
Bruce Richards
Matthew Rolston
Allen Ruppersberg
Edward Ruscha
Alexis Smith
Kent Twitchell
John Valadez
Beatrice Wood
Tom Wudl
Lloyd Ziff
Presented by
Christie's
Larry Gagosian
Phillips
James Corcoran Gallery
Kathy & Steve Hair
Inspiration Supporters
Philibosian Foundation
Marc Grossberg
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Image credit
Joe Goode, Untitled (detail), 1975, oil on canvas, 61 x 73 inches. Courtesy of the Joan and Jack Quinn Family Collection