Director’s Statement

Exhibition Catalogue
Raúl Guerrero at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library / November 10 – December 29, 2007

“Raúl’s work always employs a variety of media to explore movement and transition, it blends symbolism and history with everyday scenes in what he describes as his search for the poetry of life” – Erika Torri Joan & Irwin Jacobs

It is with great pleasure that we are exhibiting Raul Guerrero’s drawings and paintings depicting images from his body of work on bars, which has been a longtime interest of Raul. Raul is no stranger to the Athenaeum. He participates in many of our activities here at the library, and he is vividly remembered for his exhibition in 2001 titled Location/Location/ Location: The Travel Journals of Raul Guerrero/Paintings, Drawings, Prints, Photographs, Artist’s Books, 1972-2001. That was also the year the Athenaeum started to commission artists to design a music program cover which is being used for an entire year for all concert series, including the chamber concerts; concerts in jazz at the Athenaeum, at The Neurosciences Institute and at the studio; the Summer Festival and special musical presentations. Raul was the first artist to be asked to design a cover and many artists have followed in his footsteps since.

For this exhibition, Raul’s work includes a series of drawings and paintings depicting The Whaling Bar, a lounge located at La Jolla’s iconic La Valencia Hotel. Like the Athenaeum, La Valencia—built in 1926—is a significant and enduring character in La Jolla’s history. The Whaling Bar is both cozy and austere, decorated with harpoons, lanterns, ivory scrimshaw, and fishing murals. This seaside pub takes its name from the mural above the bar titled The Whale’s Last Stand. Raul has long had a fascination with bars all over the world and has painted his interpretation of many of them, including Le Couple, Paris, 1987, a watercolor on handmade paper, which is in the Athenaeum’s Permanent Collection.

Raul’s work always employs a variety of media to explore movement and transition, it blends symbolism and history with everyday scenes in what he describes as his “search for the poetry of life.” Raul Guerrero’s The Whaling Bar is part of the Athenaeum’s ongoing exhibition program, whose mission is, in part, to highlight the work of local artists and to make it available to a larger audience. Special recognition and thanks should be given to Sibyl Rubottom who designed the catalogue; and our sincere thanks and appreciation goes to Raul, who created such a historic and thoughtprovoking exhibition.

Erika Torri Joan & Irwin Jacobs, Executive Director
October 2007
Director’s Statement

 

Top left image: Raúl Guerrero, drawing, 1998, oil pastel, 17 x 13.5 inches
Bottom image: Raúl Guerrero, drawing, 1998, oil pastel, 13.5 x 17 inches