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Group Show
Common Objects
November 8-December 13, 2014
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The Frank Lloyd Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of Common Objects, a group show including works by artists such as David Hockney, Jasper Johns, Richard Shaw, Wayne Thiebaud and Bob Van Breda. A mixed media exhibition with an emphasis on small scale pieces, this show presents works that take the items of daily life as their subjects.

Light bulbs, sewing implements, springs, faucets, seashells and other objects are represented and re-contextualized through a variety of media. Including found and modified objects, works on paper, and works in porcelain, this exhibition demonstrates the many ways in which artists can repurpose quotidian things.

This appropriation of the artifacts of mass culture can be traced to Pop art and Dadaist traditions of using found objects and imagery. Replicas, objets trouvés, and images of commonplace items are elevated to the status of fine art. This elevation of familiar things prompts the viewer to reexamine what they know about art and their environment. Part of this process is a purposeful concentration on the formal qualities of items that are seen and used every day. Habitually overlooked objects are seen in a new light.

The title of this show references the historic 1962 exhibition New Paintings of Common Objects at the Pasadena Art Museum. Organized by Walter Hopps, this was the first museum survey of American Pop art, and was an important step towards the movement's critical acceptance.