Christina Quarles is a painter whose work questions assumptions and beliefs surrounding identity and the human figure.

Quarles was the subject of major solo exhibitions at the Frye Art Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. This year, her work is included in the Lyon Biennial of Contemporary Art and the 59th Venice Biennial. She received an M.F.A. from the Yale School of Art in 2016 and holds a B.A. from Hampshire College.

Her work is currently on view at the Manetti Shrem Museum as part of the exhibition “Young, Gifted and Black: The Lumpkin-Boccuzzi Family Collection of Contemporary Art” on display until Dec. 19. The Thiebaud Endowed Lecture is organized by the Department of Art and Art History and co-sponsored by the Manetti Shrem Museum.

The 2023 Thiebaud Endowed Lecture with Christina Quarles can be viewed on the Art Studio YouTube channel.

The Betty Jean and Wayne Thiebaud Lecture in the Theory, Practice and Criticism of Painting, Drawing and Sculpture complements the Visiting Artist Lecture Series and The California Studio, both core components of the Art Studio MFA Program. Wayne Thiebaud’s legacy continues to create art and inspire others after his passing in December 2021. After more than 40 years of teaching and service at UC Davis, he and his influence will be felt by many future generations, thanks to a $500,000 endowment from the Wayne Thiebaud Foundation.