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Exhibition

Contemporary Painting, 1960 to the Present

Selections from the SFMOMA Collection
May 18–August 12, 2012

This exhibition of works from the SFMOMA collection explores the richness, diversity, and continuing vitality of painting over the last 50 years. Contemporary Painting showcases the breadth of the museum’s collection, bringing together iconic pictures with others that have been rarely exhibited. With galleries thoughtfully organized around particular historical moments, geographic centers, or sets of formal issues, the exhibition provides fresh insights into a classic yet ever-evolving medium. Among the many artists featured are Vija Celmins, Richard Diebenkorn, Mark Grotjahn, Philip Guston, Brice Marden, Kerry James Marshall, Lari Pittman, Gerhard Richter, Amy Sillman, and Andy Warhol.

Brice Marden, Cold Mountain
John Baldessari Looking East on 4th
Kerry James Marshall, Souvenir III
R. H. Quaytman, I LoveThe Eyelid Clicks / I See / Cold Poetry, Chapter 18
Andy Warhol, National Velvet silkscreen
Julie Mehretu, Stadia I

Brice Marden, Cold Mountain 6 (Bridge), 1989-1991; collection SFMOMA, purchase through a gift of Phyllis Wattis; © 2012 Brice Marden / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

John Baldessari, Looking East on 4th and C, Chula Vista, Calif., 1966-1968; Accessions Committee Fund: gift of Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Donald Fisher, Modern Art Council, and Norah and Norman C. Stone; photo: Ben Blackwell; © John Baldessari

Kerry James Marshall, Souvenir III, 1998; Accessions Committee Fund purchase: gift of Shawn and Brook Byers, Collectors Forum, Emily Carroll and Thomas Weisel, Doris and Donald Fisher, Susan and Robert Green, Diane and Scott Heldfond, Patricia and Raoul Kennedy, Elaine McKeon, Elle Stephens, and Phyllis Wattis; © Kerry James Marshall

R. H. Quaytman, I LoveThe Eyelid Clicks / I See / Cold Poetry, Chapter 18, 2010; purchase through a gift of Norah and Norman Stone, the Helen and Charles Schwab Art Supporting Foundation, Mary Zlot, the Estate of Raymond Neher, and the Accessions Committee Fund; © R. H. Quaytman

Andy Warhol, National Velvet, 1963; Accessions Committee Fund: gift of Barbara and Gerson Bakar, Doris and Donald Fisher, Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr., Mimi and Peter Haas, Byron R. Meyer, Helen and Charles Schwab, Danielle and Brooks Walker, Jr., and Judy C. Webb; Albert M. Bender Fund; Tishler Trust; Victor Bergeron Fund; Members’ Accessions Fund; and gift of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.; photo: Ben Blackwell; © 2012 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Julie Mehretu, Stadia I, 2004; ink and acrylic on canvas; fractional gift of Dominique Levy and purchase through the Accessions Committee Fund with the additional support of Gay-Lynn and Robert Blanding, Jean and James E. Douglas, Jr., Ann and Robert S. Fisher, and Pat and Bill Wilson; © Julie Mehretu