The Manetti Shrem Museum of Art was founded in 2016 to extend the tradition of teaching directly from works of art. The museum’s rotating exhibitions and the Fine Arts Collection focus on the UC Davis legacy and its sphere of influence as well as introducing contemporary artists and ideas to the campus community.
The Fine Arts Collection at UC Davis contains nearly 5,800 objects. Founded as a collection of Old Master prints purchased by the art department’s founding faculty in the 1960s, the collection is now encyclopedic in scope, with notable holdings of works on paper and ceramics central to the history of UC Davis. The collection features work by faculty and alumni who have risen to prominence over the decades, including Wayne Thiebaud, Robert Arneson, Mike Henderson, Bruce Nauman and Deborah Butterfield as well as recently exhibited artists such as Loie Hollowell, Malaquias Montoya and Kota Ezawa. A collection built by artists, it reflects the intellectual history of our university and is a teaching resource for our campus community.
Arnold Joseph Kemp, POSSIBLE BIBLIOGRAPHY, 2015-20. 52 black and white archival inkjet prints Canson Infinity Platine Fibre Rag; unique closed edition, 6.83 x 10 in. each. Fine Arts Collection, Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art. © Arnold Joseph Kemp. Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Fourteen30 Contemporary, Portland.