Lari Pittman: Declaration of Independence Opening at the Hammer

Lari Pittman, ‘How Sweet the Day After This and That, Deep Sleep Is Truly Welcomed,’ 1988. Acrylic, enamel, and five framed works on paper on wood. Three panels, 96 × 192 in. (243.8 × 487.7 × 5.1 cm) overall. Collection of Matthew C. and Iris Lynn Strauss, Rancho Santa Fe, California. © Lari Pittman, courtesy of Regen Projects, Los Angeles.

American artist Lari Pittman’s (Art BFA 74, MFA 76) works will be on display in the upcoming exhibition Lari Pittman: Declaration of Independence, held from Sunday, Sept. 29 to Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020, at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. The exhibition kicks off with an opening celebration on Saturday, Sept. 28, featuring food trucks, a cash bar and a live DJ, free and open to the public. 

Declaration of Independence is billed as the most comprehensive retrospective in two decades of Pittman’s work. The exhibition houses approximately 80 paintings and 50 works on paper, including collages from his formative years at CalArts, paintings “produced in response to the AIDS crisis and culture wars of the 1990s” and Pittman’s current investigation into the historical values of textiles. The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue courtesy of Delmonico Books.

“In addition to being an extraordinary painter, Lari has been an important figure in the Los Angeles art community for the past four decades as both artist and teacher,” said Hammer Museum Director Ann Philbin. “He has influenced generations of artists … and is part of a generation of artists who emerged internationally in the 1990s. His paintings confront history, politics, violence, and sexuality in a highly aestheticized manner that is both exquisitely painted and deeply responsive to the issues of our time.”

Pittman, a Los Angeles native, currently serves as a professor in the Department of Art at UCLA. His work has been featured in exhibitions including Documenta (1997), the Venice Biennale (2003) and two Whitney Biennials (1993 and 1995), among others. Pittman is the recipient of various distinctions, including those from  the International Association of Art Critics, the Rhode Island School of Design, the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, the Flintridge Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council and the J. Paul Getty Trust Fund for the Visual Arts.

Declaration of Independence is organized by the Hammer Museum’s Chief Curator Connie Butler and Curatorial Assistant Vanessa Arizmendi. Check Related Programs on the Hammer’s website for events associated with the exhibition.

Following its run at the Hammer, Lari Pittman: Declaration of Independence will travel to Kistefos Museet in Jevnaker, Norway, from May 24 – Oct. 5. 2020.