IRVINE, CA.-The Irvine Museum presents "California Legacy," Selected paintings of the Golden State, on view through October 1, 2005. Over a hundred years ago, many artists were fascinated with the splendor of California, which compelled them to paint beautiful landscapes. For our time, we are fortunate to be able to view some of these rare paintings and are able to briefly return to a time long ago when California was an unspoiled paradise.

The legacy these artists left us is something that can never be replaced. Joan Irvine Smith, founder of The Irvine Museum, once said "The best way to understand the past is to have lived through it, and this art is an outstanding way to experience the exhilaration and vitality of this meaningful time in our history".

Among the twenty-five artists represented in "California Legacy" is John Gamble (1863-1957). His paintings of California wild flowers earned him a national reputation. Eastern patrons found it difficult to believe the veracity of John Gamble's colorful depictions of the wildflowers of California, yet people found the hillsides to be just like his paintings, such as his Joyous Spring, one of four of his paintings in this exhibit.

George Brandriff (1890-1936), was an artist who painted brilliant scenes of Laguna Beach and it's coastal surroundings. Among these is a view of what was the single cannery at Newport Beach, entitled Cannery Row, Newport Beach, of about 1928.