The Wennesland collection

KPFA’s Bob Sitton interviews Dr. Reidar Wennesland, one of the foremost patrons and collectors of art by Beat-era artists, and artist Arthur Monroe. The Norwegian-born Wennesland, whose medical practice was based in the North Beach district of San Francisco, often accepted paintings in lieu of money for his services. He collected works by Monroe, Jay DeFeo, Jess and George Herms, among many others, at a time when few other collectors did. In the recording, Wennesland discusses his collection of 1950s San Francisco painters’ work and his decision to donate the collection to his hometown in Norway. Monroe discusses his own art from that period and why San Francisco’s artists from this time period have been overlooked relative to artists in New York City.
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