THE HISTORY OF THE CALIFORNIA ART CLUB
est. 1909

Curious to know who the founding members of the Painters' Club were, or who held the office of CAC President the most? Where were the early Gold Medal Exhibitions held? Click the links below to find out more about the colorful and fascinating history of the California Art Club.

	The Painters' Club of Los Angeles, and How It Became The California Art Club Includes the full membership roster for the Painters' Club of Los Angeles as well as notes from their handwritten minutes; and explains how and why the Painters' Club necessarily became the CAC.
	The Presidents of the California Art Club All of the presidents of the Club, including photos, samples of their work, and bios.
Photo courtesy Jean Stern/The Irvine Museum	Historical Membership of the California Art Club [A-Z] An on-going project to document all of the Club's members since its inception in 1909.
	The Annual Gold Medal Exhibitions Over half of our Annual Exhibitions are listed completely with exhibiting artists and the works they exhibited, as well as awards given; more recent years include images of the works.
	The CAC Bulletins: 1925 - 1994 A listing of all of the bulletins that the CAC produced, including details from each issue. (Currently incomplete)
	Early Los Angeles Art Galleries, Clubs, Museums, Art Schools and Teachers An on-going project that explores the early Los Angeles art world, including clubs, museums, local art galleries, art schools and more.
	The Annual Plein Air Painting Events at Mission San Juan Capistrano: 1995-2003 A total of nine week-long paint-outs and exhibitions were held by the CAC in conjunction with the mission. Details include participating artists, jurors, and award winners.
	The Annual Sights and Sounds of Santa Ana Exhibitions: 1997-2003 Seven consecutive exhibitions were held at the Bowers Museum. Initially focusing on Santa Ana, they later broadened to include all of Southern California. Details include participating artists, jurors, and award winners.
	Miscellaneous CAC Exhibitions Includes those from many different venues, from the Weisman Museum at Pepperdine in recent years to the Hollyhock House Opening and Spring Exhibitions held decades ago.
Articles covering CAC History
	Three Creators of Artists' Alley by David T. Leary, Ph.D.
	A Brief History of the CAC by Elaine Adams
	Memoirs of the California Art Club 1993-2006 [PDF, 6.26 MB] by Peter Adams; from the 95th Annual Gold Medal Juried Exhibition catalogue
	The California Art Club: A History (1909-1995) by Susan Landauer, Ph. D.; American Art Review, March 1996
	Traditional Fine Arts Organization Contains further details about CAC Exhibitions, essays and more.

[Thanks to Edan Milton Hughes and his two-volume set of books entitled "Artists in California 1786 - 1940," and Nancy Dustin Wall Moure's "Southern California Art." These sources have helped uncover much of the history of the CAC, particularly past members and exhibitions who might otherwise have gone unnoticed.

Other resources include exhibition pamphlets, bulletins and meeting minutes from the early years of the club, in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others. ~ Ed.]

This historical section has been researched and compiled by Eric Merrell.