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BORN
1932
DIED
2020
Christian Title Obituary
Los Angeles - June 13, 1932 - April 18, 2020
It is with heavy hearts that the family of Christian Milton Title announces his passing on April 18, 2020, at the age of 87. Christian passed away peacefully at his home in La Quinta, California, in the arms of his loving wife, Joyce.
Christian was born on June 13, 1932, in Los Angeles. California. He received his BFA, Masters' degree, and eventually his doctorate in Art History at the Sorbonne University, where he worked his way through school by singing in the cabarets. In 1957, Christian opened DeVille Galleries in Los Angeles where he introduced the area to the finest of American Impressionism. He was an exceptional artist himself with works that ranged from impressionism to modernism. Christian also wrote several books; Christian's World; Christian Title, A Collection of Sketches; and his favorite about his philosophy for painting, Paint for Yourself.
Christian's passion for sailing in his youth was fulfilled in his fifty-one years of marriage with Joyce, traveling the world, eventually making their solo transpacific crossing that led them to New Zealand. There Christian designed a seaside home where they stayed seasonally for twenty years. Christian also designed a Mexican retreat for them in Malibu living there for thirty years. His appreciation for beauty brought them to their ranch in Somis, and their home at The Quarry in La Quinta.
Many who knew Christian referred to him, appropriately, as a Renaissance man. He lived out loud. He was many things, artist, designer, musician, singer, sailor, athlete, gourmet chef, raconteur, businessman, creative and academic writer, mentor, and loving man. His dream of building an Art Museum in La Quinta, to contain his notable American Impressionist collection and his original art work was coming to fruition and is presently under construction.
Even with all of Christian's pursuits and accomplishments in his own words he would say: "Joyce fulfilled my dreams and made me whole… I want to share forever with her."
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to The Title Art Center, 2909 Oregon Court, Suite B1, Torrance, California 90503.
A memorial will be planned at a later date.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Christian Title
Sponsored by thedesertsun.com.
Rick
April 20, 2021
I got an email from Legacy notifying me it's been one year since Chris's passing. Hard to believe it's been a year and I think of Chris now and then especially on how much he enjoyed and appreciated the natural beauty of NZ.
Mark Mackeda
July 25, 2020
As an employee of Saticoy Country Club, I was privileged to know Chris and Joyce Title for over a decade. Chris will be missed.
My condolences to Joyce and family.
Mark Mackeda
Rick from Orewa
April 30, 2020
Chris most certainly had an amazing life. I loved to listen to his stories about his travels with Joyce, in ways only he could tell in his unique, loving, and very entertaining style. I remember the expressions on his face and his voice inflections when he described how he saw Joyce for the first time driving her little sports car with the top down.
Joyce was his favorite subject as he would go on with more immensely proud stories about how she won the rope climbing contest with a hand over hand time winning first place rope climb beating all the macho sailors. He was proud of how physically fit she is and way ahead of everyone.
Chris took a rare and sincere genuine interest in people in his own intriguing and highly intelligent way. He was a Will Rodgers type only with much more insight. In other words, instead of saying, “I never met a man who I didn’t like,” Chris might say, “I never met a man who I didn’t find interesting.”
Chris was sincerely interested in listening to other people and their stories. If you were lucky enough to get Chris talking, Chris talked about his younger days in Paris and the good friends he acquired there and other remarkably interesting acquaintances he had and how they all interacted with him and with each other. His stories showed keen understanding, compassion, friendliness, and brilliant human perception.
I was at a dinner party at Geoff and Jane’s in Gulf Harbour with Chris and Joyce. During dinner, joke-telling started beginning with quick one-liners, clever puns, and the jokes kept getting longer. We, of course, we're all sitting when we told our jokes. When it was Chris's turn, he would put down his eating utensil, and do his well-known stand-up routine that left us laughing to tears. He was very entertaining and animated and fascinated with other people describing them and their reactions in hilarious detail.
Have you ever played golf with anyone who would stop in the middle of a golf hole, get out of his golf cart and take his wife by the hand to a spot on the course which only his artist’s eye would notice and the two of them would pause, and take in all the wonder? I wouldn’t have noticed anything if I had not been playing golf with him. I thought to myself and reflected how much time I had wasted in my life never noticing all the wonders Chris could easily see every day.
Several years ago, I organized a golf outing where we had a late lunch after golf at a beautiful seaside home in Buckleton’s Beach, NZ. There were about 23 of us and as we walked around the property with a drink in hand, Chris suddenly stopped his conversation when out of the corner of his eye he spotted a huge sprawling tree overlooking the sea. He stood there a moment then looked around for Joyce and walked over to her and gently took her arm and walked up to the tree and they silently focused. Then he got two chairs and put them in front of the tree and they both sat for several minutes admiring the sprawling structure and colors with the bright blue sky and dark blue sea in the background.
“Chris does this all the time,” Joyce remarked. Then the hostess at the beach house took a chair and sat down beside them telling them how she would climb way up in the huge tree when she was a little girl and they loved hearing about it.
I highly respected his manners and ways and the way he managed his magical life. Years ago, Chris displayed in his NZ home several of his incredibly beautiful impressionist paintings along with his modern images. When I asked him about the striking and very colorful modern images, he said he would get into a zone where he allowed his hand to be guided by his subconscious. He explained his modern images were amazingly simple featuring extraordinarily strong images that played the leading role in the work leaving the observer in wonder. Although rarely verbalizing or criticizing the fallacies in life, Chris, in his brilliant modern paintings would poke a bit of fun at morality and silently laugh at concepts of social acceptance in our societies.
We all know Chris could intelligently talk on almost any subject. When he told his unique and magical stories, he held everyone’s attention (including the most sophisticated) with his bold, frank, and fearless description about current events and when asked, the events of his incredibly full life all told with a very warm and exceptional sense of humor.
As I look at the sky now in New Zealand or wherever I go, I watch for Chris’s work in the clouds. I can picture him sitting down and having a glass of wine with the Lord asking questions only Chris would know to ask.
He was a very remarkable man who will be missed by many and his amazing life will greatly inspire many in the years to come.
I hope to see you again, my good friend.
Christopher Reutinger
April 26, 2020
Let it not be forgotten that Christian was a fierce competitor on the tennis court, or that every New Year's he made an excellent bean soup! I would offer my gratis services to play my violin at the memorial to Joyce but I have lost all current contact information.
Christopher Reutinger
805-263-6474
April 26, 2020
RIP, Chris.
You were an amazing neighbor and a pleasure to know. We will miss the possibility of meeting you on the road.
Kim and Cheryl
Maureen Amberg
April 26, 2020
Since Kindergarten, we went through school together graduating from North Hollywood High School in 1950. We lived near each other here in the Desert & have stayed in contact with each other. I am very saddened to hear of his death. He had enormous talent in many areas and the world has lost a very kind man. Rest in Peace my friend!
Buz Greene
April 26, 2020
Chris was the smartest, finest man I ever met. The world will really miss this fine gentleman.
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