SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Visitors to Sacramento’s Crocker Art Museum will get to see an exhibit curated in part by one of America’s greatest painters before his death.
Wayne Thiebaud was already a world-renowned artist before his death on Christmas in 2021. Posthumously, he’s on a trajectory paralleling that of other American masters like Georgia O'Keeffe and Andy Warhol.
Michael Kimmelman, one of the New York Times' best-known art critics, not only covered Wayne’s work, but also became one of his dearest friends.
"You know I just hit it off immediately with Wayne. There was a warmth and a generosity about him, a modesty in a way. But then he had this kind of beautiful, human 'aw shucks' attitude in front of pictures. He would sometimes just stop and say 'Man that's just so delicious,'" said Kimmelman.
Kat Haro, the communications director for the museum, says seeing his work in person is a different experience than seeing a photo of it.
"It’s very different in person, you really get to see the brush work. There’s so many little details and the edges and the backgrounds… they seem really simple but when you get up close in person, there’s so much there to really dive into," she said.
Now through its Aug. 7 closing, you’ll also be able to see the Twinka Thiebaud exhibit.
Wayne’s daughter was one of the most sought after artistic nude models of the 60s and 70s, and in fact was the first full frontal nude to be published in Life Magazine.
For tickets to see the exhibit at the Crocker Art Museum, click here.