First Wednesday Art Talk – Wayne Thiebaud: Art Comes From Art

Posted on 09 October 2024

Wayne Thiebaud (1920–2021) became famous for his colorful paintings of American confections and buffets. He was also a self-described art “thief,” who openly drew ideas from and reinterpreted old and new European and American artworks. An influential teacher at Sacramento Junior College and the University of California, Davis, Thiebaud never stopped learning. He believed that art history is a continuum that connects artists of the past, present, and future. Highlighting work from across the beloved artist’s six-decade career, this exhibition features Thiebaud’s inventive reinterpretations and direct copies of famous artworks, as well as objects from his personal art collection that inspired him. Approximately 60 quintessential works by Thiebaud — including paintings of people (alone and together); still lives of cakes, tabletops, and other ordinary objects; cityscapes featuring soaring buildings; and mountain landscapes — offer an in-depth exploration of one of the most important and overlooked aspects of his creative practice: his passionate engagement with art history.

“I believe very much in the tradition that art comes from art and nothing else” —Wayne Thiebaud

FAMSF Docent: Alfred Escoffier

This exhibition at the Legion of Honor runs March 22, 2025 – August 17, 2025.

First Wednesday Art Talks are provided by the Friends of the San Rafael Library