ART FOR A SAFE AND HEALTHY CALIFORNIA

Gagosian presents Art for a Safe and Healthy California, a benefit exhibition presented in Beverly Hills by renowned actor and activist Jane Fonda together with the gallery.

July 18 – August 30, 2024

Thanks to the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy California and its partnership with the arts community, California Independent Petroleum Association announced this month that it would withdraw a referendum on California’s landmark law (SB 1137) to protect neighborhoods from toxic oil drilling from the November ballot.

Gagosian is grateful to the artists who participated in the project at this critical first stage, including Ed Ruscha, Charles Gaines, Mark Grotjahn, Jonas Wood, Sarah Cain, Karon Davis, Jules de Balincourt, Olafur Eliasson, Francesca Gabbiani, Marilyn Minter, Catherine Opie, Christina Quarles, Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Kenny Scharf, and Joey Terrill. In May, a selection of works by these and other artists was auctioned at Christie’s during their marquee sale week.

Larry Gagosian remarked, “Jane has been a great friend for over forty years, and an icon of the American cultural landscape since the 1960s. I have always admired her activism, and when she brought this urgent David vs. Goliath cause to my attention, I didn’t hesitate. It has been an honor to partner with her on this crucial issue impacting my home state of California—from the launch event in April to the upcoming exhibition to raise funds to support this effort into the future. I am incredibly grateful for the artists’ generosity in helping us ensure a safe and healthy California for generations to come.”

The work featured in Art for a Safe and Healthy California represents a diverse array of mediums and approaches; much of it also reflects concern about the environment. In Self-Portrait (Fins and Pier) (2023), a recent entry in Alex Israel’s iconic Self-Portrait series, the artist’s Hitchcock-inspired profile logo frames a photorealistic painting of two quintessentially LA features, while in Richard Misrach’s photograph Untitled (Acrobat Super Grid #8) (2012), a pair of athletes perform, half-submerged, in the gray-green ocean.

Participating artists include Jackie Amézquita, Andrea Bowers, Matt DiGiacomo, Shepard Fairey, Frank Gehry, Nan Goldin, Lonnie Holley, Jessie Homer French, Alex Israel, Y.Z. Kami, M (aka Michael Chow), Richard Misrach, Analia Saban, Tavares Strachan, and Hank Willis Thomas.