Appearing from left to right:

 

John Nava (b. United States, 1947) 

BA 1969 Art, College of Creative Studies  

Chemo Portrait (Nancy), 2015 

Oil on panel  

Promised Gift of the Artist 

 

 

Richard Hawkins (b. United States, 1961)  

Salome Painting: Green Head, 2011  

Oil on canvas 

Gift of Marc Selwyn Fine Art, Beverly Hills 

 

The title of this work alludes to the biblical story of Salome, who infamously appeals for the execution of John the Baptist after dancing for King Herod on his birthday. While the depiction of Salome exhibiting the severed head of John the Baptist has been a popular subject in art through the centuries, Hawkins’ take is particularly novel. Rather than focusing on the female protagonist, the artist emphasizes the victim’s ghoulish head, which seems to hover over a smoking barrel.  

Like many other examples of Hawkins’ works, this painting references the subjects’ prevalence in art history and points to the relationship between desire, sex, and violence.  

 

 

John Baldessari (b. United States, 1931-2020) and Norman Gollin (b. United States, 1919-2006) 

Flowers of Life for Central America, 1984 

Poster  

Gift of Ann A. Schoenfeld 

 

The title of this work refers to a series of cultural events organized in 1984 by the grassroots coalition, Artists Call. Many well known artists participated in programming across art galleries, college libraries, churches, and recreational centers in Southern California to protest the United States’ interference in Central American affairs. This political poster, which serves as an admonishment of foreign policy under the Reagan administration, is composed of repetitive horizontal bands juxtaposing the image of a naked corpse with a military leader in full uniform.   

 

 

Alison Saar (b. United States, 1956) 

Tete, 2002 

Woodblock print 

Estate of Frances Garvin and Keith Julius Puccinelli