Wayne Thiebaud 100: Paintings, Prints and Drawings

Beginning February 6 | Levis Gallery and Gallery 29A

Marking the artist’s 100th birthday, Wayne Thiebaud 100: Paintings, Prints and Drawings celebrates the breadth of Thiebaud’s accomplishments and career. Long affiliated with Pop art, the exhibition shows the expansive depth of his full body of work.

Thiebaud's bright palette, iconic consumerist imagery and graphic presentation were well suited to the Pop art moment that was starting to capture the nation's attention in the 1960s, and Thiebaud remains best known for his paintings of pies, cakes and other sugary treats. His style and use of paint seemed both remarkably lifelike and tantalizingly delicious.

In addition to painting, Thiebaud’s work spans drawings, watercolors and prints. He also beautifully renders people in figure studies and fully realized individuals on canvas, and over time, landscapes have appeared with increasing frequency in the artist's paintings and works on paper.

Admission is free for Museum members and $12 for nonmembers. Discounts for military, college students, and seniors ($10); youth ages 5–17 ($7); and children four and younger (free) are available.

Wayne Thiebaud 100: Paintings, Prints and Drawings is organized by the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California. The exhibition is sponsored locally in part by 2020 Exhibition Program Sponsors Taylor Cadillac and ProMedica, with additional support from the Ohio Arts Council, the TMA Ambassadors and the Rita B. Kern Foundation.

Media & Press

This is an oil painting of a women with long black hair and bangs. She is wearing a white headband and a black v-neck sweater. She is sitting at a table. Her left elbow is on the table and she is resting her head in her left hand.

Wayne Thiebaud, Betty Jean Thiebaud and Book, 1965–1969. Oil on canvas, 36 x 30 in. Crocker Art Museum, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Thiebaud, 1969.21. © 2020 Wayne Thiebaud / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.

View | Download

This is an oil painting of rows of slices of Boston creme pie. Each piece of pie has a red cherry on top and is placed on a white plate. There are 15 pieces of pie.

Wayne Thiebaud, Boston Cremes, 1962. Oil on canvas, 14 x 18 in. Crocker Art Museum Purchase, 1964.22. © 2020 Wayne Thiebaud / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.

View | Download

This is a drawing of an assortment of bow ties. Some of the bow ties have polka dots and others have stripes while others are a solid color, like orange, blue and white.

Wayne Thiebaud, Bow Ties, 1993. Color lithograph hand-worked with pastel, 9 7/8 x 13 5/8 in. (image), 15 x19 7/8 in. (sheet). Crocker Art Museum, gift of the Artist's family, 1995.9.38. © 2020 Wayne Thiebaud / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.

View | Download

A black and white print of an assortment of different cakes as seen from a bakery window.

Wayne Thiebaud, Cake Window, from Delights series, 1964. Etching, 4 15/16 x 5 7/8 in. (plate), 12 3/4 x 10 3/4 in. (sheet). Crocker Art Museum, gift of the Artist's family, 1995.9.1.13. © 2020 Wayne Thiebaud / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.

View | Download

This is an image of an etching that also uses color pencil to depict an array of chocolates. Some are round and some a square. They organized in neat rows.

Wayne Thiebaud, Dark Chocolates, n.d. Etching hand-worked with colored pencil, 8 7/8 x 10 1/4 in. (plate), 14 3/8 x 15 1/4 in. (sheet). Crocker Art Museum, gift of the Artist's family, 1995.9.36. © 2020 Wayne Thiebaud / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.

View | Download

This is an image of a drawing of a single pair of sunglasses. The lenses are round and dark. The arms of the glasses are folded under. They are sitting against a pink packground.

Wayne Thiebaud, Dark Glasses, 1991. Gouache on paper, 6 7/8 x 11 1/2 in. Crocker Art Museum, gift of the Artist's family, 1995.9.29. © 2020 Wayne Thiebaud / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.

View | Download

This is a drawing of a street ascending a very steep hill. The hill is green and on either side of the street are tall buildings. The sky is a faint pink.

Wayne Thiebaud, Park Place, 1995. Color etching hand-worked with watercolor, gouache, colored pencil, graphite, and pastel, 29 9/16 x 20 3/4 in. (sheet/image). Crocker Art Museum, gift of the Artist's family, 1995.9.50. © 2020 Wayne Thiebaud / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY

View | Download

An oil painting of rows of slices of pie. Each slice sits on a white plate.

Wayne Thiebaud, Pies, Pies, Pies, 1961. Oil on canvas, 20 x 30 in. Crocker Art Museum, gift of Philip L. Ehlert in memory of Dorothy Evelyn Ehlert, 1974.12. © 2020 Wayne Thiebaud / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.

View | Download

This is an image of an oil painting of a street corner. Four cars are parked along the street but there are no cars driving. A small dog is crossing the street.

Wayne Thiebaud, Street and Shadow, 1982–1983/1996. Oil on linen, 35 3/4 x 23 3/4 in. Crocker Art Museum, gift of the Artist's family, 1996.3. © 2020 Wayne Thiebaud / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.

View | Download

This is an image of a pastel drawing of a quarter of a watermelon with a knife stuck in the center.

Wayne Thiebaud, Watermelon and Knife, 1989. Pastel on paper, 8 5/8 x 9 7/16 in. Crocker Art Museum, gift of the Artist's family, 1995.9.30. © 2020 Wayne Thiebaud / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY

View | Download