On View September 20, 2025 – January 25, 2026
Laguna Art Museum is pleased to present Silence and Solitude: Conrad Buff and The Landscapes of the American Southwest, on view from September 20, 2025, through January 25, 2026. This landmark exhibition, curated by Dr. Deborah Solon marks the first major museum retrospective dedicated to the life and work of Conrad Buff, a modernist pioneer whose depictions of the American Southwest helped shape the visual language of twentieth century California art.
The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue and an in-depth curatorial essay which offers a comprehensive look at Buff’s artistic evolution and enduring legacy. “Conrad Buff’s work invites us to reconsider how the American landscape has been interpreted through modernist eyes,” said Dr. Solon, curator of the exhibition. “This exhibition not only celebrates his legacy but also deepens our understanding of how he shaped a distinctive vision of the West.”
By the 1930s, Conrad Buff was widely regarded as one of the most significant artists working in Southern California. Though rooted in modernist traditions, Buff’s work resisted the extremes of Surrealism or non-objective painting. Instead, he remained devoted to the landscape, particularly the rugged terrains of Arizona, California and Utah, where he discovered profound inspiration in remote, untamed environments.
Buff’s talent ranged across media from easel and mural painting to lithography to book illustration. Buff’s artistic output was prolific and he was nationally recognized. His early technique, marked by a cross-hatched Divisionist style, gradually gave way to a more architectonic, reductive approach by the 1960s. While his subject matter remained consistent, his stylistic progression revealed a deepening exploration of form, structure and color.
Buff’s large-scale canvases echo the vastness of the places he painted, transporting viewers into the quiet, expansive beauty of the Southwest. “At Laguna Art Museum, we are committed to exploring the full breadth of California’s artistic heritage,” said Julie Perlin Lee, Executive Director of Laguna Art Museum. “Conrad Buff’s work expands that narrative, bridging regional identity, modernist technique and a lifelong devotion to the natural world.”
For more information about, Silence and Solitude: Conrad Buff and The Landscapes of the American Southwest, visit lagunaartmuseum.org. To stay connected and learn about upcoming events, follow the museum on Facebook, Instagram and X.
About the Curator:
Deborah Epstein Solon holds a BA from Vassar College and an M.Phil and Ph.D in art history from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She began her career in California as Director of Research for Karges Fine Art, a renowned Los Angeles gallery specializing in American Impressionist painting. Her publications in conjunction with Karges Fine Art include Ross Dickinson: The Early Works (1993); Birds, Boughs and Blossoms: Jessie Arms Botke (1995); Cornelis Botke: A Painter and Etcher Revisited (1996); and Clyde Scott: Paintings from the Robert and Rea Westenhaver Collection (1999).
Dr. Solon began her work as an independent museum curator in 1998. Her exhibitions, all accompanied by major catalogues include Colonies of American Impressionism: Cos Cob, Old Lyme, Shinnecock, and Laguna Beach (Laguna Art Museum, 1998); In and Out of California: Travels of America Impressionists (Laguna Art Museum and Hudson Hills Press, 2002); An American Impressionist: The Art and Life of Alson Skinner Clark (Hudson Hills Press, 2005); East Coast West Coast and Beyond: Colin Campbell Cooper, American Impressionist (Hudson Hills Press, 2006); She is the co-author of Art Colony: The Laguna Beach Art Association, 1918-1935 (Laguna Art Museum, 2018). Her most recent publication is In Living Color: The Art and Life of Henrietta Berk (Cool Titles, 2020.) In addition to her work as a curator Dr. Solon spent several years as Director of American Paintings at Heritage Auctions in Beverly Hills, California.
Dr. Solon is currently an adjunct professor of art history at California State University, Fullerton and Chapman University. She owns and operates Regis Art Consulting, a firm specializing in fine art appraisals and curatorial services.
Artwork: From top to bottom : On the Road to Zion, Oil on canvas, 47 1/2 x 64 1/2 in. and Colorado River (Rio Colorado, Oil on Masonite, 36 x 54 in. Courtesy of Phoenix Art Museum
About Laguna Art Museum
Founded by local artists in 1918, Laguna Art Museum has celebrated California art and culture at the heart of the community for over a century. The museum offers a welcoming space for artists, donors, members and visitors, each bringing unique energy that drives its mission forward. As “Your Museum,” Laguna Art Museum builds on a legacy of inspiring creativity, sustainability and reflection on California’s natural environment through exhibitions, events and educational programs. The museum presents exhibitions that highlight the California experience and is home to the annual Art + Nature. With each visit, Laguna Art Museum invites people from near and far to join in its journey of community, art and environmental awareness. For more information, please visit LagunaArtMuseum.org and follow the museum on social media:
Location
Laguna Art Museum is located at 307 Cliff Drive in Laguna Beach, on the corner of Coast Highway and Cliff Drive.
Hours
- Tuesday-Sunday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Closed Mondays, except Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth and Labor Day.
- Holiday Closures: Fourth of July, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.