During the years following World War II, San Francisco became a haven for artists of all stripes who were seeking cheap rent, good weather, and a bohemian environment populated by kindred spirits who rejected the era’s conservative values in favor of personal freedom, spontaneity, and improvisation.
Between 1955 and 1965, San Francisco’s upper Fillmore District was an important, locus of creative ferment and home to a remarkable and eclectic group of painters, poets, and musicians who changed the course of American art. The exhibition Renaissance on Fillmore, 1955-65 will examine this unique place and time through the work of 17 artists who either lived and worked in the building at 2322 Fillmore or were active in the neighborhood’s pioneering art galleries, such as the Six Gallery, King Ubu, and Batman Gallery.
Works by Paul Beattie, Joan Brown, William H. Brown, Jerry Burchard, Bruce Conner, Jean Conner, Jay DeFeo, Sonia Gechtoff, Dave Getz, Wally Hedrick, Craig Kauffman, James Kelly, Les Kerr, Hayward King, Ed Moses, Deborah Remington, and David Simpson are included, along with photographs, posters, and exhibition announcements documenting this extraordinary period in Bay Area art.
image: Wally Hedrick, Fred’s T.V., 1956