On view in the Adele and Haig Der Manuelian Galleries
“Discovering Takouhi: Portraits of Joan Agajanian Quinn,” a companion exhibition to “On the Edge: Los Angeles Art 1970s – 1990s from the Joan and Jack Quinn Family Collection,” includes Armenian artists such as Dahlia Elsayed, Jean Kazandjian, Silvina Der Meguerditchian, Ara Oshagan, Zaven Sarkissian, and Aram Saroyan.
Curated by Gina Grigorian and Natalie Varbedian.
Presented by
Introduction
Known for her charisma, intelligence, and incomparable flamboyance, Joan Agajanian Quinn has served as an inspiration for artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Hockney, Ed Ruscha, Larry Bell, Frank Gehry, Ed Moses, Helmut Newton, Billy Al Bengston, and many others.
As artists sought to record her image across a variety of media, Joan Quinn found herself with one of the world’s largest and significant collections of contemporary portraiture — a poignant representation of friendship, appreciation, and respect. On display in “Discovering Takouhi: Portraits of Joan Agajanian Quinn” is a selection of Armenian artists from the collection.
Zareh, Untitled, 2005, Pencil on paper, 21.5 x 19.25 inches, courtesy of the Joan and Jack Quinn Family Collection
curator’s Introduction
Curator of Collections and Exhibition Rachel McCullah Wainwright introduces viewers to the history and relationships that form the Quinn family collection and its significance to the history of West Coast artmaking.
nEWS COVERAGE
“Discovering Takouhi: Portraits of Joan Agajanian Quinn” at the Armenian Museum of America
Joan Agajanian Quinn’s room appears just as I imagine the rest of her home: overflowing with art. Paintings stacked on the floor and furniture lean against other paintings. I recognize the style of one painting sitting on a bed headboard. Its bright colors and bold lettering—JQ, Quinn’s initials—surrounded by wavy, wispy lines resemble a painting in a catalog we both flip through.
Ed Ruscha, Mocha Standard #28/100, 1969, Silkscreen, 30.25 x 44.75 inches, courtesy of the Joan and Jack Quinn Family Collection.
CALIFORNIA’S MOST NOTABLE CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS FROM THE JOAN AND JACK QUINN FAMILY COLLECTION MAKES DEBUT IN BOSTON
On the Edge premiered at the Bakersfield Museum of Art in 2021 and was curated by Rachel McCullah Wainwright. “The work and artists on display have come to represent a period of history that transformed art making,” said Wainwright. “Art made in Los Angeles during the late 1960s and 1970s onward is defined by a unique spirit of anti-conformity, a play of new materials, a celebration of light, and the California cool ethos.”
W Magazine:
Joan Agajanian Quinn, Art Collector and Muse to Warhol and Hockney
The jacarandas were in full bloom when I drove to meet Joan Agajanian Quinn. The magical trees blossom twice a year, brightening the gray sprawl of Los Angeles with sublime purple clouds.
WBUR:
5 THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND, INCLUDING 'ON THE EDGE' AT THE ARMENIAN MUSEUM
"On the Edge," a new exhibition at the Armenian Museum, opened last week. It’s the museum's largest event in 50 years, featuring over 75 artists including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Frank Gehry, Helmut Newton and Andy Warhol.
Hyperallergic:
How Joan and Jack Quinn Built a Major Art Collection Based on Friendship
Jean-Michel Basquiat, “Portrait of Joan Quinn” (1986) (photo by Ken Marchionmo Photography) “I took the whole family over on hot days for a swim and lunch,” Joe Fay recalls.
MIRROR SPECTATOR:
QUINN EXHIBIT BRINGS LA COOL TO ARMENIAN MUSEUM
The dual exhibits, “On the Edge: Los Angeles Art 1970s – 1990s from the Joan & Jack Quinn Family Collection” and “Discovering Takouhi: Portraits of Joan Agajanian Quinn,” currently on display at the Armenian Museum of America, merge the two facets of this woman: muse and supporter of the cool LA art scene as well as society patron in the Armenian community.
“DISCOVERING TAKOUHI: PORTRAITS OF JOAN AGAJANIAN QUINN” INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING ARTISTS:
Banner Image Credit: Ara Oshagan, Untitled, 2013, archival pigment photographic print, 19 x 23 inches, courtesy of the Joan and Jack Quinn Family Collection