An Exhibition of Ferlinghetti Paintings in Vallejo
BAY AREA FERLINGHETTI FANS—
You Absolutely Must Visit Vallejo on June 10th or 12th!

‘The Upper Classes’ (1992)
Oil paint on canvas tarpaulin (unstretched)
66-1/2”h x 113-1/2”w in.

‘Siddhartha, on the Slopes of the Buddha’ (1963)
Oil paint on canvas, 48 x 32 in.
Huge Ferlinghetti Exhibition Runs Through June 24th, 2022
Throughout his lifetime, Lawrence Ferlinghetti wore a lot of hats. One was as proprietor of a small bookstore in San Francisco, from whose humble beginnings sprang a worldwide movement. Many know him by reputation as a champion of free speech, and while some are aware he liked to paint, few know just how prolific he was as an artist, nor how far back his passion for painting went.

Left: ‘Horse #1’ (1989)
Oil paint on canvas 48 x 60 in.
Right: ‘Winged Victory (Samothrace)’ (1992)
Oil paint on canvas tarpaulin (unstretched)
53-1/4 x 76 in.
For the next two weeks, you have the opportunity to visit Vallejo and see a fantastic tribute to Ferlinghetti’s brushwork at the largest art exhibition of his paintings I have ever seen. Twenty-four large format pieces will be on display at the Temple Art Lofts Gallery at 707 Marin Street in historic downtown Vallejo.
The brainchild of Susan MacDonald, Generation: Beat! The Art & Literary Genius of Lawrence Ferlinghetti brings together poetry, films, music, art walks and other happenings in a monthlong festival centered around Ferlinghetti and other things Beat.

Left: ‘Bird?’ (2009)
Oil on canvas, 78 x 60 in.
Center: ‘Oh Pocahontas, Pocahontas!’ (1987)
Oil paint on canvas, 48 x 60 in.
Right: ‘The Beginning of Joy in the Face of Doom’ (2011)
Acrylic paint on canvas, 36 x 48 in.
MacDonald, who runs the Empress Theater in Vallejo, became enamored of Ferlinghetti’s talents when he first visited her college. She later purchased six original pieces of his art, which are also shown in this exhibition.

‘Full Circle #2’ (2003)
Oil paint on unstretched canvas, 20 x 6 ft.
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a guided tour of the show. The pieces displayed represent a range of Lawrence’s work, with the oldest dating all the way back to 1963. Some of the pieces have never even been exhibited before. In a peculiar twist, some of these paintings were actually part of an exhibition at the Bank of America Building in San Francisco back in 2007, which was taken down after three days because some of the building tenants complained about them. When the curator of that exhibition claimed the paintings were no more explicit than paintings seen every day in museums around the world, she was told by a building representative that the BofA Building was a private office building and not a museum. Lawrence, of course, expressed offense that his paintings were being censored, but I like to believe some part of him privately delighted in the controversy, even if the paintings were going to go unseen.
Left: ‘Swan Song’ (1992)
Oil paint on canvas tarpaulin (unstretched)
112½ x 65½ in.
Right: ‘The Upper Classes’ (1992)
Oil paint on canvas tarpaulin (unstretched)
113½ x 66½ in.
‘Swan Song’ (1992)
Oil paint on canvas tarpaulin (unstretched)
112½ x 65½ in.
Left: ‘Swan Song’ (1992)
Oil paint on canvas tarpaulin (unstretched)
112½ x 65½ in.
Right: ‘The Upper Classes’ (1992)
Oil paint on canvas tarpaulin (unstretched)
113½” x 6½”.
Now you can see them! Head over to downtown Vallejo the weekend of June 10-12, as there will be guided tours of the exhibition on the 10th and the 12th. The guided tour on Friday, June 10th begins at 4:00pm and the one on Sunday, June 12th begins at 12 noon. It’s only a 30 minute drive from San Francisco, or an hour by ferry, and admission is only $7. You won’t regret it!
‘The Holy Ghost?’ (2009)
Oil paint on canvas,
48 x 72 in.
‘Van Gogh #5’ (1994)
Oil paint on canvas,
53”h x 76”w in.
For more information, and to buy tickets, visit the Empress Theatre >