Long Beach Museum of Art

February 6 - May 31, 2026

The Long Beach Museum of Art is pleased to present Robert Williams: Fearless Depictions, a survey exhibition featuring 57 paintings spanning from 2001 to the present, along with two large-scale sculptures by the iconic Southern California artist. Robert Williams’ epic, cartoon-inspired history paintings draw deeply from American vernacular culture and its visual slang, using concrete, relatable, and often absurd imagery to deliver sharp social commentary.

Raised amid the custom hot rod scene in New Mexico before relocating to Southern California, Williams immersed himself in the world of automotive art and design. He studied at the Chouinard Art Institute, where he honed his skills as an illustrator while much of the art world turned toward Abstract Expressionism and Conceptualism. His career began in commercial art, including serving as studio art director for Kustom Kulture legend Ed “Big Daddy” Roth in 1965. By the late 1960s, Williams was a founding contributor to the underground ZAP Comix, all the while producing his own caustic and unapologetic works. In 1994, he founded Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine—a publication devoted to the underground—which has since become the top-selling art magazine worldwide.

October 4, 2025 – March 8, 2026

The California Effect—New Books from the California Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers is rich in both artists and bookworks. There are 29 artists exhibiting 54 books, boxes, and broadsides. Some are in limited editions and others are one-of-a-kind. All are handmade individually with handmade and fine papers, cloth, thread, glue, inks, and paint. What exactly is the California effect? More precisely, what is the effect on the many of us who live, work, and visit here? The misty mornings and baking hot afternoons? The endless coastline, chill forests or dry desert arroyos? Each of us has an answer, seen in the books we make, in our tastes and inspirations. We turn to making books: printing them, binding them, reinventing them, turning them into art—making books as art.

The California Chapter is one of ten chapters, revealing the national reach and scope of the Guild and its dedication to promoting interest and awareness in the tradition of book and paper arts. The members include hand bookbinders, design binders, conservators, calligraphers, makers of artist books, fine press printers and papermakers. A fully illustrated catalogue with information about each artwork and biographical information about each artist is available to order.

The California Effect exhibition and related programming are graciously supported by The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation, the Pasadena Art Alliance, and the Bess J. Hodges Foundation

October 4, 2025 – March 8, 2026

Throughout its 75-year history, the Museum has presented contemporary art in all media, including the book arts. In 1983, the Museum organized At Home, an exhibition that included artists’ books by women created between 1970 and 1983. In 2009, Novel Constructions—Artists Create Monumental Books explored books as sculptural installations and included works by Genie Shenk and Carol Shaw-Sutton, both of whom are represented in the Ocean View Gallery. In 2019, the Museum presented The Artful Book of the California Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers, and it continues this tradition with The California Effect.

Voice of the Artist highlights a selection of artists’ books from the Museum’s permanent collection. It touches on the history of the medium, from the livre d’artiste exemplified by Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, to contemporary offset-printed codex forms such as Barbara Kruger’s My Pretty Pony. Artists continue to expand the definition of the book through unconventional materials, like the tar paper in Genie Shenk’s Ring or the carved wood of Suvan Geer’s Author, Author? Unstill Poetry. The exhibition features a variety of forms, including traditional codex forms, accordion books, and a pop-up sculpture by Paul Johnson. The Museum gratefully acknowledges the generous support of a donor-collector Museum member, who anonymously provided both the exhibition and the video revealing more of the books’ interiors.

LBMA Members receive free admission, access to exclusive previews, and more. Join a dynamic artistic community that celebrates the power of the creative process, the value of art education, and the importance of art. today.

DISCLAIMER — Advance online tickets to the Long Beach Museum of Art are NON-REFUNDABLE.

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