Articles & Reviews

Abby Wasserman has published hundreds of articles in magazines and newspapers during her writing career. Posted below are concert reviews written for classicalsonoma.org; major articles for Sonoma magazine, World View magazine, and Front Porch Republic 'zine; personal essays; and features about California artists written between 1985 and 2003 for the Oakland Museum of California's magazine: Robert Bechtle, Charles Schulz, David Ireland, Noah Purifoy, Joan Brown, Garry Knox Bennett, Harry Fonseca, Frank Day, and Beatrice Wood.
(Note: Publication year is shown in the titles; the full dates below are posting dates on this website)

The Power of Image

In 1934, Ann Rice O'Hanlon painted a fresco mural at the University of Kentucky. Today, it is a source of controversy.

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Portents

A freewrite from August 27, 2020 on the theme of "portents."

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The Three Faces of Garry Knox Bennett (2001)

Arriving at Garry Knox Bennett's Oakland loft, I am welcomed with a big hug by Geraldo Bennucci. "Ambrose is making lunch," he says, referring to Ambrose Pillphister, the painter, "and Garry's debating a fine point with a band saw. Vino?"

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Robert Bechtle: Hidden Reflections (2000)

Robert Bechtle's sparkling California light and dense shadows, his gleaming American cars parked on empty streets, and his neat pastel row houses are like a reflection in someone's dark glasses. You see more of yourself than the wearer.

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