Merlin

Maurice Merlin and the American Scene, 1930–1947

Jan. 19–April 15, 2013

Maurice Merlin studied at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1929 to 1931 addressing the social tensions that faced the city and the nation during the 1930s with images of strikes, unemployed workers, and Detroit’s African American community. This exhibition includes work of fellow Detroit-based artists with paintings, posters, and watercolors on loan from collections in Los Angeles and Detroit, and is the first museum exhibition devoted primarily to Merlin’s career.

Maritime

Britain and the Sea: Maritime Drawings and Watercolors from The Huntington’s Art Collections

This focused exhibition features fifteen rarely seen drawings and watercolors by marine artists such as John Thomas Serres, Charles Bentley, and Samuel Owen, depicting important battles and dramatic, romantic views of wind-tossed ships revealing a nation passing from the threat of war to command a prosperous peace.

Haynes Foundation Lecture: The Simple Art of Murder

Jan. 23 (Wednesday)

7:30 p.m.  Free

Raymond Chandler drew on many real events and people to create his iconic Los Angeles mystery novels. Judith Freeman, author of The Long Embrace, discusses Chandler’s real-life sources, including a 1922 celebrity murder case that became the inspiration for much of Chandler’s work. Free; no reservations required. Friends’ Hall

Vance-Swallow

Lesley Vance & Ricky Swallow

Nov. 10, 2012-March 11, 2013

In a dramatic departure from tradition, The Huntington presents the first exhibition of contemporary paintings and sculpture to be displayed inside the Huntington Art Gallery, showcasing the work of Los Angeles–based artists Lesley Vance and Ricky Swallow.