Selections from the Merry and Bill Norris Collection

Edited by Melinda Wortz
Published by © 1984 University Art Gallery, UC Irvine

As this 1984 exhibition portrays, Bill and Merry Norris’s collection of primarily Californian artists is an eclectic and pluralistic example of contemporary art.  Their focus on California is significant in a time when the art world begins to move away from New York and expand to places as diverse as Dusseldorf, Milan, and Los Angeles.  The Norris’ are integral to the Southern California art scene.  In fact, Bill Norris was instrumental in the conception of the Los Angeles Museum of Modern Art.  Because of this, the exhibition includes artists as diverse as Ed Moses and Alexis Smith, among others.