Early Years

The California Art Club was founded in 1909 by pioneering artists who inspired the California Impressionist movement, the first art movement to be uniquely Californian. This section includes information about the organization’s formation, including its predecessor, the Painters’ Club of Los Angeles.

 

The Painters’ Club of Los Angeles

Information about the Painters’ Club of Los Angeles (1906-1909) includes notes from their handwritten minutes and exhibitions, as well as an explanation of how and why the PCLA re-formed as the California Art Club.

Founding of the CAC

The Painters’ Club of Los Angeles disbanded in mid-December of 1909 after its members felt it had outgrown its usefulness, and they regrouped to form the California Art Club. An impetus to create a new organization was the interest to include both sculptors and women artists.