The sweep and scope of the Laguna Art Museum’s extensive Tony DeLap retrospective encompass several remarkable elements, including the artist’s large hybrid constructions, which feature unusual juxtapositions of shapes and materials, and his curved standing and hanging sculptures. The retrospective is divided into periods that correspond to formal shifts in the 90-year-old artist’s oeuvre, illuminating his 60 years of conceiving, conjuring and building distinctive works. While DeLap has been variously identified with the minimal, hard-edge and Light and Space movements, his pieces don’t fit neatly into any of these categories. In fact, to walk through this exhibition is to enter the mind of a master who imbues his work with magical, form defying structures.

Tony DeLap, Esoterist (1990). Acrylic on canvas with wood. 94 1/2 x 44 x 10 3/4 inches. Collection of Phyllis and John Kleinberg.

Of the 80 drawings, paintings, large hybrid works and sculptures in this exhibition, several embody characteristics of what might be called “DeLapism”: a collapsing of the distinctions between painting and sculpture. These include Esoterist (1990), The Honest Ace (1996) and The Conjurian (1991). All three are composed of large geometrically shaped swaths of acrylic painted canvas, combined with free-form carved wood, the latter providing anchors and unusual counterpoints. These works, along with many others, are mounted onto abstract bases that swerve out from the wall, encouraging viewers to examine their dimensional complexity.

Tony DeLap, Lompoc (1963). Lacquer, wood, chipboard, Plexiglas, and stainless steel. 23 ¼ x 20 ¼ x 4 5/8 inches. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Gift of Robert and Naomi Lauter.

“Tony DeLap: A Retrospective,” installation view, Laguna Art Museum, 2018. Photo by Chris Bliss.

DeLap’s standing square sculptures, including Mona Lisa (1962) and Lompoc (1963), display etched features and translucent finishes. Floating Lady II (1970/2017), a 108 inch beam balanced on the edges of two glass plates clamped together at a 90 degree angle, is a simple yet humorous construction, alluding to his life-long avocation of performing magic tricks.

Tony DeLap, Triple Trouble II, (1966). Heat formed acrylic plastic and lacquer. 13 x 22 1/2 x 13 1/4 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Rena Bransten Gallery.

Also magical are long slender sculptural pieces, including Untitled (Bendo) (1972), which are balanced, seemingly precariously, on small beams. Here also are free-form sculptural pieces, Tango Tangles III and Triple Trouble II (both 1966), displaying the artist’s early experimentation with abstraction. This exhibition, magnificently curated by critic/writer/poet Peter Frank, also includes intricately designed drawings and plans for the endlessly fascinating completed pieces.

“Tony DeLap: A Retrospective,” installation view, Laguna Art Museum, 2018. Photo by Chris Bliss.

“Tony DeLap: A Retrospective,” through May 28, 2018 at Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach, CA 92651, www.lagunaartmuseum.org.