La Jolla in the 1970s was a groovy place—a mecca for surfers, intellectuals, and artists. A hotbed of creativity, UC San Diego counted several prominent artists among its faculty, including husband-and-wife painters Manny Farber and Patricia Patterson. The duo relocated from New York to Leucadia in 1970 and spent many years thereafter contributing to the local art scene.
Currently, a selection of the painterly pair’s works is on display in dual exhibitions Double Bill: The Art of Manny Farber and Patricia Patterson at the La Jolla Historical Society’s Wisteria Cottage and Manny Farber: An Up Beat Title at Quint Gallery. Coincidentally, another creative power couple—Lauren Lockhart, executive director of La Jolla Historical Society, and her husband of 12 years, Brian Lockhart, installer for Quint Gallery—happened to be the people to bring the shows to life alongside Quint Gallery owner Mark Quint, who curated the Farber show.
Double Bill explores Patterson and Farber’s creative partnership and considers how their time in San Diego influenced their respective artistic styles. The exhibition includes paintings, sketches, photos, and archival materials.
“They were partners in life and work for many years, and they’re so critical to the history of art in San Diego, especially because they were at UCSD in the visual arts department at a really exciting time,” Lauren says. “It was this exciting period in their development that influenced artmaking across the country and internationally. We were so fortunate in San Diego that Manny and Patricia decided to stay and make their home in Leucadia.”
Though Farber is famous for his tabletop still lifes while Patterson captured nature scenes and people engrossed in minutiae, each elevated everyday life with dignity, beauty, and vibrancy, Lauren adds.
“The subject matter between each artist definitely differs, but a lot of the stylistic approach—how loose it is, the color, the hues that they use throughout their work and practice—that definitely carries over from one to the other,” she says. “Patricia had a great sense and use of color, and [often] she would end up preparing the paints for Manny that would end up in his paintings.”
It was important for the La Jolla Historical Society to highlight Patterson’s work alongside Farber’s since she wasn’t quite as well-known but was just as influential, Lauren continues. The La Jolla Historical Society is also featuring furniture and objects from Patterson and Farber’s residence and fruits and flowers inspired by their garden.
The double exhibitions allow visitors to trace the evolution of Farber’s artistic style from his arrival in San Diego to his later years—while La Jolla Historical Society is showcasing works created around his tenure at UC San Diego, over at Quint Gallery, some of Farber’s larger and later works are on display. The show features paintings and drawings from 1984 to 2008, the year before his death.
“In Manny’s work, especially, you can see the influence of San Diego,” Brian says. “He was an artist in New York, as well as a film critic, but his paintings back there were completely different from what you see in the two exhibitions currently running. Those were large, almost like stain-painted pieces of paper that he would lay on the floor and pour the paint onto … No representational objects in them at all. And then he came to San Diego, and I think the environment here became more important to him than what he was doing previously.”
Double Bill: The Art of Manny Farber and Patricia Patterson runs through February 1, 2026, at the La Jolla Historical Society Wisteria Cottage Gallery at 780 Prospect Street. Public hours are Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free. Keep an eye out for a panel discussion and other special programming that coincides with the exhibition.
Manny Farber: An Up Beat Title runs through January 3, 2026, at Quint Gallery, 7655 Girard Avenue. Public hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
