Joseph Kleitsch, Problematicus, 1918. Oil on canvas, 60 x 55 inches. Collection of Robert and Susan Ehrlich
The Pasadena Museum of California Art (PMCA) presents The Golden Twenties: Portraits and Figure Paintings by Joseph Kleitsch. The first museum exhibition to focus on the work of innovative portraitist and California Impressionist Joseph Kleitsch (1882-1931), The Golden Twenties characterizes Southern California during this tumultuous decade through depictions of the people who helped shape it.
Though the artist was highly praised by critics and collectors during his lifetime for his brazen use of color and expressive brushstroke, he fell into relative obscurity following his death. The exhibition’s curator, acclaimed California art scholar, author, and curator Patricia Trenton, PhD, has remedied that oversight, first with the 2007 monograph Joseph Kleitsch: A Kaleidoscope of Color and now with this focused exhibition and accompanying catalogue.
Born in Hungary, Joseph Kleitsch immigrated to the United States in 1902. He lived in Cincinnati and Denver and made extended trips to Mexico City before settling in Chicago in 1912. Building on his early training and innate talent, Kleitsch undertook formal study at the Art Institute of Chicago and began painting both life models and friends. He established a studio and launched himself into the art and social mainstream where he was readily accepted. His exceptional capacity to paint realistic portraits imbued with the personality, demeanor, and essence of each subject established the artist as one of Chicago’s most sought-after portrait painters.
Noting the mild climate of Laguna Beach and perhaps the success Edgar Payne, his friend and fellow Chicago artist, found there, Kleitsch moved to the artist’s haven in 1920. He quickly became a leading member of the art colony. He was involved with the Laguna Beach Art Association and was an in-house portraitist for the esteemed Stendahl Gallery, then located in the elegant Ambassador Hotel. The artist also pursued his newfound interest in landscape painting, becoming an important part of the California Impressionism movement.
Kleitsch’s career is often mistakenly divided into two parts: his early portraits painted in Hungary and Chicago and his impressionistic and increasingly abstract landscapes painted in California during his later years. However, Kleitsch continued to paint portraits and figurative works in California and was considered Laguna Beach’s premiere portrait painter until his untimely death in 1931.
In his relatively short career, Joseph Kleitsch’s innate sensitivity propelled him to uncover the depth of his subjects. With a jewel-toned palette and pattern influenced by his native Hungary and a golden, impressionistic palette developed after his arrival in California, the artist’s figure paintings and portraits of friends, dignified businessmen, and glamorous movie stars convey the character of each sitter and recount the personal stories of California in the twenties. This selection of 42 of Kleitsch’s bold and diverse paintings represent a significant artistic legacy, which has been assembled, for the first time, in this focused and intimate study.
The Golden Twenties: Portraits and Figure Paintings by Joseph Kleitsch is organized by the Pasadena Museum of California Art and curated by California scholar, writer, and curator Patricia Trenton, PhD. A 137-page hardcover catalogue accompanies the exhibition. Published by the PMCA, the catalogue features 64 full-color images and an essay and catalogue entries by Dr. Trenton.
The exhibition and catalogue are supported by the PMCA Board of Directors; the PMCA Ambassador Circle; Lead Patrons Earlene and Herbert Seymour; Presenting Patrons Christine and Reed Halladay; Underwriting Patrons Simon K. Chiu, Lori and Jeff Hyland, Bob and Arlene Oltman, and Anonymous; Benefactor Patrons Yvonne Boseker and Gail and Peter Ochs; Sustaining Patrons Bram and Sandra Dijkstra, Michael Feddersen, Penny and Jay Lusche, Gayle and Ed Roski, Irene and George Stern, and Anonymous; and Contributing Patrons Susan and Robert Ehrlich, Jerrold and Judith Felsenthal, Thomas and Jane Glover, Joyce and Tom Leddy, Tobey Moss and Allen Moss, Mel and Betty Sembler, Carol and Cliff Trenton, and Ruth Westphal. Additional support is provided by Bonhams Fine Art Auctions, The Redfern Gallery, and a generous grant from the Historical Collections Council of California Art.
Pasadena Museum of California Art, 490 East Union St., Pasadena, (626) 568-3665 or visit pmcaonline.org.
