Beatrice Judd Ryan and The Rise of Modern Art in the Bay Area

Treasure Island Museum provides public events without charging admission whenever possible. However, our operating costs have risen exponentially as we expand our service to the community; we depend on and appreciate the generosity of our supporters. $10 per person is the suggested donation for this event, but no one is ever turned away for lack of funds.

In 1925 Beatrice “Bea” Judd Ryan opened a cooperative nonprofit gallery dedicated to introducing modern art to the San Francisco art community. At a time when significant artists such as Diego Rivera could find little support here, Galerie Beaux Arts provided Rivera and local artists with opportunities to exhibit their work. Ryan was later appointed Director of Exhibits of the California office of the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project. In this role she continued to promote the work of modern artists, especially as co-director, along with artist Helen Bruton, of the famous "Art In Action" Exhibition at the Golden Gate International Exposition in 1940. Rivera’s fresco, “Pan American Unity,” currently on display at SFMOMA, was created in this exhibition.

This lecture will explore Ryan’s role as a champion of local artists and how "Art in Action" and her galleries encouraged audiences to look at modern art in new ways. Her article, "The Rise of Modern Art in the Bay Area," was published in the California Historical Society Quarterly in 1959.

Berit Potter teaches in the Department of Art + Film" at Cal Poly Humboldt. She received her doctorate in art history from New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts. Professor Potter’s first program for us was in June of 2019, on the career of Dr. Grace McCann Morley and the establishment of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

To reserve tickets, click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/beatrice-judd-ryan-and-the-rise-of-modern-art-in-the-bay-area-tickets-643166096107