Retrospective of the Artist Charles Reiffel Opens in Balboa Park

The San Diego Museum of Art and San Diego History Center host joint exhibition of Charles Reiffel

San Diego, Calif.—The San Diego Museum of Art and the San Diego History Center will  present a comprehensive and collaborative, two-museum retrospective of the work of Charles Reiffel celebrating the 150^th anniversary of the artist’s birth. Charles Reiffel: An American Post-Impressionist will open on Saturday, November 10 at both museums.

More than 90 of Reiffel’s works will be exhibited; primarily oils on canvas but also watercolors, gouaches, and drawings in both pencil and children’s crayons. During his lifetime, Reiffel’s work was exhibited throughout the country, winning many national awards and the accolades of critics who compared him to John Henry Twachtman, and referred to Reiffel as the “American van Gogh.” Many San Diego collectors were more cautious, considering him “too modern” in relation to his California contemporaries. The rise of the American avant garde movement in the early twentieth century further overshadowed Reiffel’s legacy.

This will be the most important exhibition of Reiffel’s work since Second Nature, curated by Martin Petersen more than twenty years ago, and the first major retrospective of the artist’s work since his death in 1942.

“Charles Reiffel was more than just a founding father of the California landscape school, he was a Post-Impressionist of national stature,” says Ariel Plotek, curator for the exhibition. “This exhibition is a long overdue homage to one of San Diego’s most outstanding painters.”

The San Diego Museum of Art will produce a catalogue, co-published by the two organizing institutions, and including essays by Dr. Ariel Plotek and noted scholar Bram Djkstra, and appreciations and observations by Reiffel collectors. Charles Reiffel: An American Post-Impressionist is the first collaborative exhibition between the two institutions.

Members of both institutions are invited to see the exhibition in its entirety and take advantage of free admission with a membership card for either museum throughout the run of the show. Nonmember visitors can receive $2 off admission at either museum by presenting a receipt or ticket stub from the partner institution.  

ABOUT THE SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART

The San Diego Museum of Art provides a rich and diverse cultural experience for 350,000 visitors annually. Located in the heart of beautiful Balboa Park, the Museum’s nationally renowned collections include Spanish and Italian old masters, South Asian paintings, and 19th and 20th century American paintings and sculptures. The Museum regularly features major exhibitions of art from around the world, as well as an extensive year-round schedule supporting cultural and educational programs for children and adults. At The San Diego Museum of Art, exhibition text is always in English and Spanish. General Information, (619) 232-7931, Group Sales: (619) 696-1935, Website: TheSanDiegoMuseumofArt.org, Twitter: @SDMA, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheSanDiegoMuseumofArt

ABOUT THE SAN DIEGO HISTORY CENTER

San Diego History Center, which also operates the Junípero Serra Museum in Presidio Park, is dedicated to helping people of all ages learn about, and enjoy, the history of San Diego, and to appreciate how our past, present, and future are interrelated. The History Center was founded in 1928 and is one of the oldest and largest historical organizations in California. It is one of only a handful of institutions nationwide that is dedicated to celebrating the heritage of a major American city. For additional information, please visit www.sandiegohistory.org.

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