Pop art exhibit brings a distinct international flavor

Many people can’t think of pop art without the name Andy Warhol coming to mind.

But even though he is one of the most celebrated figures in pop art, Warhol — with his re-creations of soup cans and cultural icons like Marilyn Monroe and John Lennon — is not the only artist who influenced the movement, which emerged in the mid-1950s in Britain and during the late 1950s in the U.S.

A visiting exhibition at Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach is offering a take on the style with “Pop Art Design,” a collection illustrating the convergence of art and design from the postwar period.

Through April 2, OCMA’s presentation of “Pop Art Design” will feature more than 150 artworks that include paintings, furniture and other everyday objects. About 80 of the design objects are from international museums.

The exhibition was organized by the Vitra Design Museum in Germany in collaboration with the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark and the Moderna Museet in Sweden.

OCMA is the only West Coast venue for this international exhibition.

“We’re often told the story of pop art, but what’s different and appealing about this show is that it pushes against the assumption of pop art being an American phenomenon,” said Cassandra Coblentz, OCMA’s senior curator, who is overseeing the current presentation. “There are a number of European artists showcased in this collection.”

Pop art’s status is less familiar internationally, though it appeared in Britain, France, Germany, Eastern Europe, Argentina, Brazil and Japan, often under other names.

Pop art, according to OCMA catalog material, developed into a genre that moved beyond visual art and included graphic and industrial design. It is considered one of the most influential art movements since 1945 in suggesting a “dialogue between design and art.”

According to critics and art historians, British painter and collage artist Richard Hamilton coined the definition of pop art in 1957. He described it as “popular, transient, expendable, low-cost, mass-produced, young, witty, sexy, gimmicky, glamorous and ‘Big Business.’ ”

British art critic Lawrence Alloway used the term in the 1960s to indicate that the art, with power in its images, had a basis in the popular culture of the day.

To further illustrate the exhibition with inspirations that are bold, bright and familiar, OCMA looked to its own collection of artworks, which include paintings by Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns and Ed Ruscha, along with sculptures such as Claes Oldenburg’s “Wedding Souvenir” (1966) and Vija Celmins’ “Eraser” (1967).

Ruscha, a Culver City-based artist who is associated with the pop art movement, is most known for paintings that combine words or captions with newly invented commercial icons.

In one of the museum’s galleries is “Honk,” Ruscha’s 1964 painting of a sign that depicts that single word in diagonally inclined and capitalized typography.

The piece creates meaning through the image and word, Coblentz said, as does his 1965 oil on canvas titled “Annie,” which depicts the title frame of the comic strip “Little Orphan Annie” through that one word.

Ruscha’s visual art highlights language and branding and conjures ideas of how products, activities and messages were marketed and represented, Coblentz said.

Highlights from the exhibit include Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans II” (1969), George Nelson’s “Marshmallow Sofa” (1955), Superstudio’s Passiflora floor or wall lamp (1966) and album covers from the 1960s.

“This particular year demonstrates the breadth of what we want to showcase, and it picks up the history that moves forward into our contemporary movement,” Coblentz said, noting that the museum’s last exhibition, “American Mosaic: Picturing Modern Art through the Eye of Duncan Phillips,” told the stories of art in the late 19th century and that the next museum exhibition, “2017 California-Pacific Triennial,” opening in May, will explore today’s architecture and environment.

“This exhibition is to illustrate how our collection connects to broader themes in art and design, and it’s just a fun and playful show,” Coblentz said.

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IF YOU GO

What: “Pop Art Design”

When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays until April 2

Where: Orange County Museum of Art, 850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach

Cost: $7.50 to $10

Information: (949) 759-1122 or visit ocma.net

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Twitter: @KathleenLuppi