Sometimes the most captivating museums are smaller, hidden gems that are not as well-known. I was excited to discover the Hilbert Museum of California Art, located an hour or so from Los Angeles in Orange, California.
It is an eclectic and rotating collection of art focusing on the California experience. Each piece tells a story of what makes our state extraordinary.
Mark Hilbert – Museum Founder
I was fortunate to be given a tour of the museum by the museum’s founder, Mark Hilbert, an exuberant collector of California art. Hilbert is an inventor, writer, and the CEO of Hilbert Property Management in Newport Beach. He and his late wife traveled abroad numerous times. He told us they visited as many museums as they could to see what they did right and what they did wrong.
The Collection
What I found most appealing about the museum is that each piece is not just a painting or object on a wall, but rather, it keenly explores the narrative of California in a deep and incisive way.
The Hilbert Museum is free to visit with a reservation. It is next to the historic 1938 Mission Revival-style Orange train station (currently serving Metrolink) and to Chapman University, which funds the museum. Chapman’s film, art, and history departments are in collaboration with the museum.
The first collection I viewed was the Emigdio Vasquez: Retrospective 50. Vasquez, known as the “Godfather of Hispanic Artists,” was a Chicano artist and muralist who vividly depicted his life in the barrios of Orange and Santa Ana, California. I met and talked to his daughter, Rosemary, who was on hand along with his son.
Vasquez’s work is realistic and colorful. It explores Pachuco culture, including zootsuiters. On the day I visited, his son, also a muralist, was wearing a zoot suit.
Each room in the museum explores important aspects of California history and culture. Descriptions of each piece are provided by the museum’s director, Mary Platt, a Chapman faculty member who has a background in PR. They delve into the story of the work rather than give a cold and academic description.
Other current exhibitions
Stone and Scene is an Asian-inspired exhibition that focuses on “viewing stones” used in meditation practices. Each stone is paired with a California landscape painting to match the stone’s aesthetic in a truly compelling way.
Jørgen Klubien is a Danish Animator and storyboard artist who has worked with Disney and Pixar. He has put together a remarkable exhibition of animation drawings, including a large-scale storyboard from a Disney movie.
In another room is a homage to Route 66 to celebrate the road’s 100th birthday by artist Joan Gladstone.
Maynard Dixon is an artist who illustrated the 1849 travel book, “The Oregon Trail.” You can see an array of his drawings.
If you are into vintage radios, Mark Hilbert has a vast collection. When I visited the museum, it was displaying Radiant Portable White Plastic Radios made between 1936 and 1960.
Several other exhibitions within the museum’s two buildings are equally fascinating.
If you are in Orange County, I recommend you visit the Hilbert Museum.
167 N. Atchison Street, Orange, California | 714-516-5880 | Website
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