Wandering through the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, I wondered about the details of the agreement that handed this museum over to University of Southern California. I read that the historic building, the Asian and Pacific island art collections, plus the meager endowment went to USC several years ago, but did the museum Trustees set any requirements for continuing use of the building?
When I visited last evening (in 2018) I saw exhibits that were odd and skimpy–as if the movers had not quite yet finished the job of clearing out everything in the museum. Perhaps the Trustees asked that the building continue to be used as a museum and now USC is doing it in a very minimalist way.
And then there were the 3 galleries of California paintings. It’s altogether curious, particularly in light of the fact that Pasadena Museum of California Art next door is closing down. Is the Pacific Asia Museum going to pick up the mantle of a California art exhibition space? I would hope so. PMCA was one of the best and most interesting art museums in Southern California in my opinion! Anyway…here is some of what I saw:
A Gerald Rahm painting of Southern California beachfront homes is part of the California Art Club exhibition. Another of his paintings of the Venice Canal in Los Angeles is below.
