The Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA) will host the exhibition "Martin Mull: The Joys of Indoor/Outdoor Living" from June 27 to October 17, 2027, curated by Steve Martin and Ann Philbin. The show features the late actor, comedian, and musician Martin Mull (1943-2024), who studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design and maintained a parallel art career throughout his entertainment life. This marks the first major museum survey of Mull's artwork in 20 years, presenting his surreal, darkly humorous paintings that critique postwar American suburban life, consumerism, and homogeneity.
The exhibition matters because it reframes Mull's legacy, positioning his visual art—rather than his entertainment work—as his primary contribution. Co-curated by prominent figures Steve Martin, a serious art collector, and Ann Philbin, director emerita of the Hammer Museum, the show brings overdue attention to Mull's technically skilled paintings and drawings. It also continues SBMA's tradition of surprising discoveries, potentially introducing a new generation to Mull's eerie, narrative-driven works that resonate with contemporary anxieties about American society.