Huntington and LACMA Jointly Purchase Iconic Art Nouveau Chair

Considered the first manifestation of the Art Nouveau movement, only one other of the richly carved chairs by Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo is known to exist in the United States.

Nov. 23, 2009 - The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced today the joint purchase of an iconic chair designed by groundbreaking English architect, graphic artist, and craftsman Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo (1851–1942). One of only five chairs in the set known to exist, the Huntington/LACMA piece is one of only two in the United States and will go on view in the Design Reform movement rooms of the Huntington Art Gallery in December. After two years at The Huntington, it will shift to LACMA’s newly reinstalled galleries dedicated to the international Arts and Crafts movement.  Read more...

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Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo (1851–1942), for the Century Guild, Chair, ca. 1882, mahogany, leather, painted decoration. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.