Contemporary Masters, Artistic Eden II fine art exhibition will be on display in the History Center Galleries at Pasadena Museum of History from Saturday, January 24 through Saturday, April 11, 2009.  Over 225 nationally recognized representational artists were invited to create artworks reflecting scenes of Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley for this singular juried event.

Anna T. Kelly's "Float Tents, Rose Bowl" (pictured at left) was selected as the work that best represents the exhibition theme and will be purchased by the participating galleries and donated to Pasadena Museum of History as a gift of appreciation.  It will add a contemporary work to the Museum’s important collection of California plein air paintings.  The “Museum Purchase Prize” was announced at a festive reception that attracted over 600 artists and art supporters on Saturday, January 31, 2009.

Artists in the exhibition:

Michael Alten, Cyrus Afsary, Larry Brooks, Linda Brown, John Budicin, Armand Cabrera, John Cosby, James Crandall, Bruce Sanford Day, Andrea Dern, Esther Engelman, Lynne Fearman, Eugene Fedorov, F. Scott Garland, Mark Geller, Lynn Gertenbach, Ray Harris, Donald Hildreth, Catherine Hill, Keewon Hong, Richard Humphrey, Anna T. Kelly, Paul Lowe, Jennifer McChristian, Walter McNall, Susan Morgan, Charles Muench, Michael Obermeyer, Shirley Pettibone, Ljubomir Popadic, Jesse Powell, Gerald Rahm, Kelly Remsten, Victor Riesau, Ray Roberts, Martha Saudek, Kat Sawyer, Alex Schaefer, Robert Sherill, Robert Townsend, Valerie Trimarchi, Milly Tsai, Thomas Van Stein, Isabel Wadsworth, Jove Wang, Daniel Wong, Laura Wynne

In the early years of California Impressionism, the spectacular beauty of the greater Pasadena area was the frequent subject of paintings created by such renowned area artists as Benjamin Brown, Jean Mannheim, Edgar Payne, Hanson Puthuff, Granville Redmond, Guy Rose and Sam Hyde Harris.  Many of these painting depict scenes of the San Gabriel Valley and have served as inspiration for contemporary artists.

Contemporary Masters, Artistic Eden, which was presented at Pasadena Museum of History for a two-week period (August 11-26) in 2007, was the brainchild of a consortium of fine art galleries in the San Gabriel Valley -- Galerie Gabrie, Michael Hollis Fine Art, San Marino Gallery, Segil Fine Art Source, and Tirage Fine Art Gallery -- to bring attention to the area as a fine art destination.  The success of the initial collaborative exhibition led to planning for Artistic Eden II, in which the five original galleries are being joined by Pasadena’s Frederic Stern Gallery.

Contemporary Masters, Artistic Eden II will be open for public viewing from 12:00 to 5:00 pm Wednesdays through Sundays, January 24 -April 11, 2009 at Pasadena Museum of History, 470 W. Walnut St., Pasadena 91103.  Admission is $5 General, $4 Seniors & Students (with I.D.), free to Museum Members and children under 12. 

Left -- "At the Warehouse," Daniel Wong, oil on canvas 28" x 22"