Inherited Forms
March 28 — May 2, 2026
540 Ramona Street
Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto, CA — Pamela Walsh Gallery is pleased to present Inherited Forms, a group exhibition bringing together contemporary artists whose work keeps the human figure in conversation with memory, gesture, and the enduring influence of Bay Area Figuration. The exhibition opens March 28, 2026, with an Artist Reception from 5 to 7 pm and will remain on view through May 9, 2026.
Following the gallery’s 2025 exhibition Concentric Circles: Tracing the Radiance of Bay Area Figuration, which focused on the founding members of the movement, Inherited Forms represents a natural progression. The exhibition features a focused presentation of works by historic artists associated with the Bay Area Figurative movement: Richard Diebenkorn, Nathan Oliveira, Theophilus Brown, Frank Lobdell, and Manuel Neri. In dialogue with these foundational figures are contemporary artists Linda Christensen, Marshall Crossman, Mark Engel, KL Folgner, Kim Frohsin, Ruth Hunter, Carolyn Meyer, Sandy Ostrau, Gary Ruddell, Hiroshi Sato, and Diane Warner-Wang, whose figurative practices are deeply rooted in and responsive to this lineage.
The exhibition reveals how artistic influence flows across time, carrying ideas, methods, and modes of attentiveness from one generation to the next. The artists absorb the legacy of Bay Area Figuration, including careful observation of the body, sensitivity to gesture, and a commitment to material presence, while reinterpreting it through their own perception, experience, and experimentation. Across painting, sculpture, and mixed media, the human figure emerges as presence, psychological space, and expressive potential.
Inherited Forms affirms the figure as an evolving language, carrying forward the Bay Area’s legacy while remaining deeply relevant to contemporary life. In this dialogue across generations, the historic roots of a regional tradition meet the vitality of artists who continue to extend its reach.
Founded in 2019, Pamela Walsh Gallery is located in a historic 1929 Birge Clark-designed building in downtown Palo Alto. The gallery represents a diverse roster of contemporary artists and distinguished historic artists whose practices have had lasting influence. A member of the San Francisco Art Dealers Association since 2021, the gallery is committed to fostering artistic development and long-term career growth. Pamela Walsh currently serves on SFADA’s Board of Directors.
Inherited Forms will be on view at Pamela Walsh Gallery til May 9th at 540 Ramona Street, Palo Alto, CA. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 am to 6 pm. For more information, visit www.pamelawalshgallery.com or contact info@pamelawalshgallery.com.
PRESS INQUIRIES:
Pamela Walsh
(650) 300-6315
