Grand Views: The Immersive World of Panoramas

An exhibit on panorama history at the Forest Lawn Museum

Sunday, September 10, 2023 - 5:00pm

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Grand Views: The Immersive World of Panoramas

An exhibit on panorama history at Forest Lawn Museum (Glendale)

Co-presented by the Velaslavasay Panorama

On View May 13, 2023 thru September 10, 2023

Forest Lawn Museum: 1712 S Glendale Ave., Glendale, CA 91205

Forest Lawn Museum is open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 AM-5 PM, with free admission

Forest Lawn Museum first opened in 1952 and is now comprised of three galleries and a gift shop located adjacent to the Hall of Crucifixion-Resurrection, which houses the Crucifixion, a 195-foot wide by 45-foot high (formerly panoramic) painting by Polish artist and renowned panorama painter Jan Styka (1858-1925).

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Jan Styka's "Crucifixion" in the Hall of Crucifixion-Resurrection photographed with the VP's "Effulgence of the North"

(Photo by Forest Casey, 2020)

Forest Lawn Museum, in collaboration with the Velaslavasay Panorama, is proud to present Grand Views: The Immersive World of Panoramas. The exhibition explores the history of panoramic paintings. Presented by two distinguished, decades-old arts institutions and panorama experts, Grand Views will feature an array of artworks and artifacts spanning the late 18th century to present, including never-before-displayed preparatory paintings, 19th-century prints and posters, a painted movie backdrop, and more.

Cyclorama

Cyclorama Building, Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, c. 1920. Lithograph, 20 x 18 inches

Organized thematically, the exhibition addresses three major topics: the early history of panoramas, crucifixion panoramas, and panoramas in Hollywood and Los Angeles. The exhibition features original artifacts related to Jan Styka’s colossal painting and The Resurrection (70 ft. x 51 ft.), which was painted by American artist Robert Clark, is also on display in the Hall of Crucifixion-Resurrection. Completed in 1965, Clark’s work was commissioned by Forest Lawn as a companion to Styka’s painting. Grand Views features never-before-displayed preparatory paintings for the Resurrection, including works by Clark, fine artist and Disney Imagineer, Herbert Ryman, and artist Allyn Cox, who painted murals in the United States Capitol.

The section on panoramas in Hollywood and Los Angeles will feature the major panoramic works of the Velasalvasay Panorama, including Panorama of the Valley of the Smokes (2000), Effulgence of the North (2007), and the Grand Moving Mirror of California (2010).

There will be an opening reception on Saturday, May 13 from 5:00 PM–7:00 PM at Forest Lawn Museum. The evening will include free exhibition tours, live music, and complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres, with live music by John Reed Torres & Eve Elliot, and free exhibition tours. The free, family-friendly event includes free parking, and is open to the public, ADA compliant, and wheelchair accessible. Guests are invited to RSVP to museum@forestlawn.com or 323-340-4782