Two New Artworks by Internationally Celebrated Artists Robert Irwin, Philipp Scholz Rittermann, and Catherine Opie to be installed as part of Murals of La Jolla

A second mural, by artists Robert Irwin and Philipp Scholz Rittermann (in collaboration) will be installed within the next month. The murals will join ten other artworks already installed throughout La Jolla as part of Murals of La Jolla, a project of the La Jolla Community Foundation.

“We are honored and excited that these internationally renowned artists will be bringing their work to La Jolla,” said Matthew Browar, chair of the Murals of La Jolla Art Advisory Committee and a member of the La Jolla Community Foundation Board of Directors. “The Murals project has brought people from around the world to our community and we are proud to be the force behind this public art project.”

Robert Irwin and Philipp Scholz Rittermann’s collaborative mural is an image of Irwin’s site-specific installation at 6 Burlington Gardens in London photographed by Rittermann. What Robert Irwin created, and what Philipp Scholz Rittermann captured in this image, is the dynamic interplay between the physical object and the surrounding environment, which contains light, reflection, shadow and movement.

Robert Irwin began his career as a painter in the 1950’s and was a pioneer of the Light and Space movement in the 1960’s. He received the prestigious MacArthur “Genius” Award in 1984 and in 1992 was commissioned to create the Central Gardens at the J. Paul Getty Center in Los Angeles. Philipp Scholz Rittermann’s photography spans opposite ends of our environment, from nocturnal scenes of industry to views of pristine landscape, Both Irwin and Rittermann live and work in San Diego and this mural marks the first time that they have collaborated.

Catherine Opie’s work is deeply rooted in the history of photography. Her La Jolla mural The Shores, part of a series of new landscapes, draws upon this trajectory and is both contemporary and historical. The Shores is based on a photograph taken by Opie at La Jolla Shores.

Born in Ohio, Opie received her Master’s degree from the California Institute of the Arts and her Bachelor’s degree from the San Francisco Art Institute. She currently lives in Los Angeles and works as a Professor of Photography at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Murals of La Jolla was conceived in 2010 by the La Jolla Community Foundation as a means to enhance the civic character of the community by commissioning public art projects on private property throughout La Jolla. An Art Advisory Committee – composed of the heads of the major visual arts organizations in La Jolla – commissions artists to propose the intervention of an image on specific walls on privately owned buildings. The first two artworks by Roy McMakin and Kim MacConnel were painted directly on their sites. Subsequent artworks have been printed on vinyl and installed on billboard-like structures. Each work is on view for a minimum of two years and has been generously funded by private donations to the La Jolla Community Foundation, a proud affiliate of The San Diego Foundation.

“The Murals of La Jolla has established the La Jolla Community Foundation as an important and impactful institution in our community,” said Phyllis Pfeiffer, chair of the La Jolla Community Foundation. “More than 100 individuals, families, and businesses have made donations to support the murals and to become members of the foundation. We are working together to preserve and enhance La Jolla for future generations.”

To date, works by John Baldessari, Gajin Fujita, Anya Gallaccio, Robert Ginder, Ann Hamilton, Kim MacConnel, Ryan McGinness, Roy McMakin, Richard Allen Morris, Julian Opie and Fred Tomaselli have been installed throughout La Jolla.

For information on how to support the murals and other projects in La Jolla by becoming a member of the La Jolla Community Foundation, contact Julie Bronstein, Executive Director, at julieb@sdfoundation.org or by calling (858) 243-2759.

About Murals Of La Jolla
Murals of La Jolla, a project of the La Jolla Community Foundation, is a collaboration between the foundation and arts leaders in La Jolla. Murals of La Jolla was conceived in 2010 as a means to enhance the civic character of the community by commissioning public art projects on private property throughout La Jolla. For additional information, please visit www.muralsoflajolla.com.

About The La Jolla Community Foundation
The La Jolla Community Foundation was founded in 2008, and is a proud affiliate of The San Diego Foundation. It is an all-volunteer community service organization with more than 50 members who are dedicated to “improving the atmosphere, ambience, and cultural lifestyle of La Jolla.” For additional information, please visit www.lajollacommunityfoundation.org.

About The San Diego Foundation
Founded in 1975, The San Diego Foundation’s purpose is to promote and increase effective and responsible charitable giving. The Foundation manages more than $612 million in assets, almost half of which reside in permanent endowment funds that extend the impact of today’s gifts to future generations. Since its inception, The Foundation has granted more than $819 million to the San Diego region’s nonprofit community. For additional information, please visit The San Diego Foundation at sdfoundation.org.

Contact:
Heather Back, The San Diego Foundation, (619) 235-2300 heather@sdfoundation.org