Quint offers feast of contemporary art
Mark Quint, owner of La Jolla’s eponymous gallery, has showcased the work of contemporary artists for nearly three decades. On Aug. 15, Quint will present 75 pieces of that work by regional, national and international artists in “Three Decades of Contemporary Art” at The California Center for the Arts, Escondido Museum. The show will run through Dec. 31.
When the museum asked Quint to mount an exhibition featuring a selection of artists’ work that he has shown over the past 28 years, he had an ample list to choose from. But to build the exhibition, Quint had to borrow many pieces from Southern California museums and private collections. (At least half of the works belong to La Jolla collectors.)
“It is special for me to present the work of many of the artists that I’ve shown in one large space,” Quint said. “I haven’t seen a lot of this work in over 15 years.”
Many of the artists are from the San Diego region, and numerous pieces are large enough to require the spacious venue that the museum provides.
Several of the artists, like abstract oil painter Ellen Salk, have La Jolla roots. Salk is known for her oils depicting the abstract symbols of such exotic cultures as India and Tibet. The intricate rice-patterned paintings that East India women create on the floor to welcome people to their homes inspired Salk to paint “Tantra 24.”
“I was trying to incorporate archetypal symbols that you see in Indian cultures into my abstract paintings; they are so ephemeral because people walk over them and they are gone,” Salk said. “I use a Mandela orientation, so they start at the center and move from the center out.”
Byron Kim grew up in La Jolla but is now a Brooklyn resident. The Quint exhibit will feature a painting from Kim’s series on skin tones. The large-scale untitled oil painting owned by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego consists of 25 8-by-10-inch panels. It depicts the varied skin tones of the museum’s board of trustees.
At the Aug. 15 opening, former UCSD professor, Kim McConnel, will paint an acrylic abstract outdoor mural. McConnel works with all types of media, including sculpting out of plastic.
The entire 9,000-square-foot space of The California Center for the Arts, Escondido Museum will be used for the Quint exhibit.
“We are blessed with a beautiful space with very large galleries and high ceilings, so we’re fortunate to be able to take large-scale pieces,” said Museum Curator & Executive Administrator Olivia Luther.
While not a working artist himself, Quint trained at the San Francisco Art Institute and then taught art until 1981 when he opened his La Jolla gallery. Instead of doing his own work, Quint prefers to showcase the work of other artists.
Next up for the Quint is the mixed media and wood sculptures by San Diego artist Roman De Salvo, which opens in September.
Quint Contemporary Art is at 7739 Drury Lane. Learn more about the gallery and upcoming shows at
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Event information
- WHAT: Quint Contemporary Art presents Three Decades of Contemporary Art
- WHEN: Aug. 15-Dec. 31
- WHERE: The California Center for the Arts, Escondido Museum, 340 N. Escondido Blvd. 760-839-4170