Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine University

This exhibition consists of over 80 paintings of Malibu created by artist-members of the California Art Club. These works were all produced in the last year especially for this exhibition. On Location in Malibu 2009 is the fourth in a series that began in 1999. It also marks the 100th anniversary of the California Art Club, the oldest continuously operating art association in the state.

The California Art Club was founded in 1909 by a group of California Impressionists when the movement was brand new. Early members included such legendary Golden State artists as Franz Bischoff, Edgar Payne, Guy Rose, and William Wendt.

Today the club believes in remaining true to its founders' principles, which emphasized the use of representational art to celebrate and explore the visual world around us. These artists found special inspiration in Malibu, one of the most scenic regions in America. They explored the land's dramatic variety, which ranges from canyons to the seashore. They saw the ocean in all of its states, from placid to turbulent. While most artists chose to depict nature, others adopted social themes, showing how people interact with this coastal paradise.

The theme of this year's exhibition is continuity and change. Many of the works are in the club's founders' style, known as California Impressionism or plein air ("open air") painting. Although the style is a century old, these painters continue to create fresh, new images and compositions. Other artists choose to push the boundaries of realism, producing novel images that show that the realist tradition is able to keep pace with the times.