Artist Judith Feins with her 30” x 40” Edge Illuminated oil on canvas, currently has her piece on loan at The de Young Open exhibit, now through Jan. 3, 2021.
To celebrate the125th anniversary of the de Young Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco is hosting The de Young Open through Jan. 3, 2021. Nothing like it has ever been seen as the call for artists went out only to artists living in the nine Bay Area counties surrounding San Francisco Bay. Three Orinda artists have work in the show: Christian Ehrhorn, Judith Feins and Nancy Vachani.
A staggering 11,514 artworks were submitted by 6,188 artists from the nine Bay Area counties. Every artwork image was reviewed anonymously multiple times by a group of qualified jurors who did not know the identities of the artists. When you visit the nine Herbst Exhibition Galleries (12,000 sq. ft.) displaying 877 artworks by 762 visionary Bay Area artists, you will notice the galleries are in thematic groupings. All COVID-19 restrictions are in place, such as masks, social distancing and limited entry via ticketed reservations.
Themes include Black Lives Matter, social justice, global warming, feminism, political and economic equity, LGBTQ, San Francisco inspired artwork, COVID-19, abstraction, nature and the human figure in all age groups. To view all artwork in the exhibit, go to https://deyoungopenexhibition.artcall.org/pages/web-gallery.
Erhorn’s 48” x 60” oil painting #493, Highway 1 is in Gallery 6. He said, “I am honored to have been given the opportunity to display a painting as part of The de Young Open exhibition. It is a positively overwhelming and compassionate exhibit. Upon entering the galleries, a sense of community involvement erupts with a multitude of voices that bravely confront viewers with questions about many social issues.” Learn more about his artwork at www.christianehrhornfineart.com.
Feins’ 30” x 40” oil painting #464, Edge Illuminated, is also in Gallery 6. “Having my painting exhibited at the deYoung is a dream beyond my wildest imaginings,” she said, continuing, “The whole experience, including how kind and welcoming the staff has been, has been a bright spot during these difficult times. I hope there’ll be more Open exhibits so that many others can have this experience – there are so many talented artists in the Bay Area.” Visit www.judithfeins.com for more information.
Vachani is one of only 50 artists who had two works selected for the exhibit. Her #630, Self-Reflecting in Great Grandma’s Mirror and #635, Pi Day at the Exploratorium are both in Gallery 7. “I never would have imagined after visiting the museum over many decades that one day my work would be hung there in a juried exhibition. I wish to thank artist and instructor Patsy Taylor who encouraged me and others to enter the competition,” said Vachani. Follow at instagram.com/vachaniart.
Other East Bay artists in the show include Jennifer Perlmutter of Lafayette; Karen Frey of Oakland, now exhibiting work at Christian Ehrhorn Fine Arts Gallery. Linda Hoffman of Martinez and Carolyn Lord of Livermore. For details visit deyoung.famsf.org/exhibitions/de-young-open, email contact@famsf.org or call 415.750.3600.
