Easily accessible for ferry riders is one of the world's largest and most prestigious exhibitions of antiquarian books, the California International Antiquarian Book Fair, taking place at the Oakland Marriott City Center from Friday, February 8 through Sunday, February 10.
A curated exhibit of first edition books from the Wizard of Oz series will be featured at the California International Antiquarian Book Fair.
BY PAUL DUCLOS
Published: February, 2019
Easily accessible for ferry riders is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious exhibitions of antiquarian books, the California International Antiquarian Book Fair, taking place at the Oakland Marriott City Center from Friday, February 8 through Sunday, February 10.
Sponsored by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA) and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) and featuring the collections and rare treasures of nearly 200 booksellers from over 20 countries around the world, the three-day fair offers a rich selection of manuscripts, early American and European literature, modern first editions, children’s books, maps and autographs, as well as antiquarian books on history, science, law, architecture, cooking, wine and a wide range of other topics.
This year’s book fair will include a special exhibit by the Book Club of California, an active association of over 800 major California collectors with interests in rare books and manuscripts of all types. Founded in 1912, the club’s library is dedicated to collecting and sharing works of California fine printers; providing resources on book making, book design, and book history; and preserving books of historical significance.
Joel Harris, a local member of the International Wizard of Oz Club, will be loaning a portion of his collection for a curated exhibit of first edition books by L. Frank Baum and the subsequent authors of the Wizard of Oz series.
For more information, see www.bccbooks.org.
King of the Yees Comes to S.F. Playhouse
How often have we taken the ferry to or around Angel Island and considered what a dire destination it was for emigrants from China? This theme and others are explored in Lauren Yee’s King of the Yees, headlined by Obie and Lucille Lortel Award-winning actor and San Francisco native Francis Jue.
The play, centered on San Francisco’s Chinatown, was inspired by Yee’s family and their deep connections within the community.
Joshua Kahan Brody will direct the Playhouse production. The fictionalized play follows playwright Lauren Yee’s father Larry (played by Francis Jue), who has been a driving force in the Yee Family Association—a Chinese-American men’s club formed 150 years ago in the wake of the Gold Rush. But when her father goes missing, Lauren (played by Krystle Piamonte) must plunge into the rabbit hole of San Francisco’s Chinatown and confront a world both foreign and familiar. At once bitingly hilarious and heartbreakingly honest, King of the Yees is an epic joyride across cultural, national and familial borders that explores what it truly means to be a Yee.
For more information, see www.sfplayhouse.org.
New Gauguin Exhibition at de Young Museum
Surrounded on three of its four sides by the sea, the ferry is an obvious option for going to Brittany from the UK and Ireland. Paul Gauguin painted many of most famous works while residing in this harsh coastal region of France.
Now at the de Young Museum is the first exhibition at FAMSF dedicated to the work of Paul Gauguin. It explores two themes central to his career: the relationships that shaped his life and work, and his quest to understand spirituality—both his own and that of other cultures he encountered.
Through a partnership with the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen, more than 60 Gauguin works will be on view—ranging from oil paintings and works on paper to wood carvings and ceramics—alongside art of the Pacific Islands from the FAMSF collection. Combined, these works encompass distinctive phases of Gauguin’s career to show the development of his ideas, the scope of his oeuvre, and the inspiration he found in Brittany, New Zealand, the Marquesas Islands and Tahiti.
“The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco have the largest repository of works on paper in the western United States, including numerous works by Gauguin—among them The Woman from Arles, one of his most important drawings,” said Melissa Buron, Director of the Art Division at FAMSF.
For more information, see www.deyoung.famsf.org.
Follow Paul Duclos’ Cultural Currents online with his blog at: www.duclosculturalcurrents.com
