Best Winter Art Exhibits In Orange County 2017

Tucked between Los Angeles and San Diego, Orange County is filled with charming ocean sides and beautiful terrain that attracts many tourists looking for unique art. Local museums and exhibits embrace the history, culture and talent of the region. Take a look at the exhibits that offer insight into the OC culture this summer.

"Frida Kahlo - Her Photos"
The Bowers Museum
2002 N Main St
Santa Ana, CA 92706
(714) 567-3600
www.bowers.org
Date: February 25, 2017 to June 25, 2017

Bowers Museum, located in Santa Ana, was founded in 1936 and is one of California's finest and Orange County's largest museums. In 1994, the Kidseum was opened as a response to the expanding children's programming and to accommodate the growing demand by the community. With its grand opening of the 30,000-square-foot wing dedicated to Dorothy and Donald Kennedy in 2007, it is not hard to see why this museum is a must see this summer for adults and children alike. Coming to the Bowers Museum in February of 2017 is "Frida Kahlo - Her Photos," which offers an intimate look into the life of one of the most renowned artists. Kahlo, who is highly regarded as one of the best Mexican painters/artists of her time, only lived to 47, but she collected over 6,000 photographs of special people in her life, as well as Mexican culture, history, art, politics and nature. The exhibit will feature 241 of these special photographs which were actually locked away for the past half century.

"The Golden Decade: Photography at the California School of Fine Arts, 1945-55"
Laguna Art Museum
307 Cliff Drive
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 494-8971
lagunaartmuseum.org
Dates: February 19 – May 29, 2017

Between 1945 and 1955, a group of fine art students studied under the direction of some of the greatest photographers of the age, including the great Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, Minor White, Edward Weston, Dorothea Lange, and Lisette Model. The exhibit will present pieces of art from these students, who went on to become distinguished photographers themselves. Along with a book, the exhibition will feature around 60 selections of art from the teachers and students from the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco during that time period.

"Miss Hills of Laguna Beach"
Laguna Art Museum
307 Cliff Drive
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 494-8971
lagunaartmuseum.org
Dates: October 16, 2016 – January 15, 2017

Landscape painter Anna Althea Hills (1882–1930) was one of the most revered and talented artists throughout the late 19th and early twentieth centuries. Her presence in the community helped put Laguna Beach on the map as a premier art colony during that time, and her "Miss Hills of Laguna Beach" painting will be on display until mid January of 2017 for Orange County residents to come and see. As a fixture of the Laguna Beach community, Hills embraced the city as not only a place where she could paint, but also to teach and she often welcomed many students to her studio.

Marconi Automotive Museum
1302 Industrial Drive
Tustin, CA 92780
(714) 258-3001
marconimuseum.org
Dates: Throughout 2017

Founder Dick Marconi renovated the exotic automobile museum building in 1994, which was operated as a former salad oil manufacturing facility that had gone out of business. Since then, Marconi has collected over 75 cars ranging from American muscle cars to F1 racing cars that value close to $30 million. Stop by the famed Museum and see Lamborghini's, Ferrari's and other high performance street cars and race cars. The exhibit here is a definite must for anyone that likes cars.

"Pop Art Design"
Orange County Museum of Art
850 San Clemente Dr
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 759-1122
www.ocma.net
Dates: January 7, 2017 - April 2, 2017

Orange County Art Museum, located in Newport Beach, is one of the premiere museums in Orange County. In 2017, stop by and experience several exhibitions, including "Pop Art Design," which is the first exhibit that will look at the cross-references between design and art. The exhibit features a number of leading artists, including Andy Warhol, Ed Ruscha, Claes Oldenburg, Roy Lichtenstein, and Richard Hamilton, which will be shown close to art by designers like Charles Eames, George Nelson and others.