Millard Sheets (1907-1989) was a founding member of the California Scene painting movement, which emerged in the 1930s, and exerted a lasting influence upon subsequent generations of California artists. Not just a painter, Sheets was also a mosaicist, muralist, architectural designer and educator. He had a significant impact on the development of American art, particularly in the realm of public art. This exhibition, curated by the director emeritus of The Irvine Museum, was organized to celebrate the installation of the 40-foot-wide Sheets mosaic “Pleasures Along the Beach” (1969), which will adorn the west-facing façade of the newly expanded Hilbert Museum. The exhibition will include 40 outstanding paintings by Sheets, selected from The Hilbert Collection and on loan from other collections.

- Mary Platt, Director