The Oakland Museum of California’s Birth of the Cool exhibition will close on August 17th. The exhibit that began three months ago on May 17th explores the 50-60s era. A time when a man was daddy-o, a woman a dolly and asbestos safe. The show stresses the visual arts, painting, architecture, furniture, design and photography. Its main attractions are the jazz lounge, media bar and art galleries.
Musical archives include the genres of Doo-Wop, Mo-Town, jazz and bebop. The media bars will allow patrons to indulge in the music of The Kingston Trio, Elvis Presley, Dave Brubek and Miles Davis. THC is strictly prohibited.
The media bar plays music, documentaries, old TV footage, animation and movie clips and has an interactive timeline that highlights examples of California, National, and International culture and history of the Cool era.
The art exhibit includes the then-contemporary art of Jackson Pollock, Archibald Prize and other arising pop artists. Selected works of Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan and other founders of high modernism are displayed.
The architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and his protégés are heavily featured. Wright invented Usonia: the iconic, swank, straight-edged homes of the likewise 1950s middle-class. Wright’s work that best displays this style is the Darwin D. Martin House in Buffalo, NY. However, the city of Orange, CA, is the best example of the middle class version of Usonia houses.
Fitting inside of the Usonia houses are the trademark retro styles of furniture. Juan Garcia Esquivel, composer and the inventor of lounge music, said this was of the “space age bachelor pad” aesthetic. Think of the Jetsons’ mod house minus the self-awareness. There will be many real life pieces on display.
Fitting inside of the Usonia houses are the trademark retro styles of furniture. Juan Garcia Esquivel, composer and the inventor of lounge music, said this was of the “space age bachelor pad” aesthetic. Think of the Jetsons’ mod house minus the self-awareness. There will be many real life pieces on display.
The title for the exhibit comes from the Miles Davis album of the same name. As the title implies, the album marks a major development in post-bebop and lays the foundation for cool jazz.
Orange County Museum of Art is the event’s organizer. The Birth of Cool will not be shown again until February 27th, 2009 at the University of Texas’ Blanton Museum of Art. So hurry up and catch the kitsch.
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