GBH Arts Editor Jared Bowen covered “On the Edge: Los Angeles Art 1970s-1990s from the Joan and Jack Quinn Collection” on NPR’s Morning Edition on August 11, 2022 and on Boston Public Radio on August 16, 2022.
"This is a great show because it introduces us to all of this fabulous art from the 1970s through the 1990s that was happening in California," said Bowen. What makes this exhibit particularly engaging is the role of Joan Agajanian Quinn, as "she is the one who has facilitated this major exhibition at the Armenian Museum of America because she has Armenian heritage."
The Quinns were immersed in artist circles and supported several now-famous artists in their early days, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Hockney, and Andy Warhol. Because of her charisma, Joan was an inspiration and muse for many of them, with renditions ranging in style and technique from Renaissance portraiture to pop art.
"Artists were sketching her or making their own interpretations of her — be it in neon or through sculpture. What I love about that is that you see this wide array, all of these different artistic viewpoints of her," Bowen said.