This volume details the extraordinary development of the Bay Area art scene from 1930 to 1960. A great museum director, enlightened patron, and brilliant art school helped create an environment to nurture a host of brilliant and innovative artists. This story describes an art scene far from artworld powerbases that got almost everything right.

What generates an innovative art scene? The 1940s and 1950s saw the emergence of a startling number of distinctive artists in the Bay Area including Clyfford Still, Claire Falkenstein, Jay DeFeo, Richard Diebenkorn, and Ruth Asawa. Working far from art world powerbases in Europe and New York, these artists developed styles of art making that are only now being fully recognized. The support of a trailblazing museum, stellar art school and enlightened patrons helped put San Francisco on the map.