To spot the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, look for a striking white building just across the street, topped with a sweeping, wave-like canopy of metal beams that casts artistic shadows on the ground beneath-a true standout in the landscape.
Welcome to the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, where creativity stretches farther than the eye can see! Can you feel the buzz in the air? That grand canopy over your head-almost like a giant art installation itself-was inspired by the flow and geometry of the nearby fields surrounding Davis, designed to play with light and shadow in the most delightful ways. Step closer and imagine walking into a place where, in the 1960s and ‘70s, adventurous artists broke all the old rules and invented new ones-right here in little ol’ Davis! UC Davis’s art department, led by Richard Nelson, drew in a famous cast: Wayne Thiebaud, known for his scrumptious paintings of pies and cakes; Robert Arneson, the leader of something called “defiant provincialism”-which sounds like a punk rock band, but was really a wild, homegrown style of art; and a host of others who shaped entirely new genres of conceptual, performance, and video art.
This dream museum didn’t just appear overnight. For nearly 60 years, professors and artists whispered and planned, longing for a space to show off their crazy, ground-breaking work. And then, with help from some very generous supporters-Margrit Mondavi (of Napa wine fame), Jan Shrem, and Maria Manetti Shrem-the vision came to life. They poured millions into the project, ensuring Davis would have a true temple for artistic adventure.
Architects from Brooklyn and a local team thought way outside the box for the building’s design. Do you notice those sweeping glass curves and the huge versatile spaces inside? Christopher Hawthorne from the LA Times called it gorgeous and inviting-and who are we to argue? This is a place where anybody-students, families, curious wanderers-can wander from lobby to gallery, maybe even stumbling on Wayne Thiebaud’s vibrant jams or a surreal Bruce Nauman sculpture. There are nearly 6,000 works here, with gifts from Thiebaud, Shrem, and other art world legends.
You’re not just looking at a museum. You’re standing at a creative crossroads where a radical bunch dared to bring world-class art to a small-town setting. And, just maybe, you’re part of its next great story.
Wondering about the background, design or the collection? Feel free to discuss it further in the chat section below.
