Press Release
HUNTINGTON’S 2012 EXHIBITIONS ANNOUNCED
Railroading’s profound impact on the nation to be explored, along with exhibitions focused on Civil War losses and ancient Chinese mirrors
Sept. 1, 2011
SAN MARINO, Calif.—The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens announced today its slate of special exhibitions for 2012. “Visions of Empire: The Quest for a Railroad Across America, 1840–1880,” opening in the spring, will draw from The Huntington’s unparalleled resources of unpublished primary source material to tell the epic tale of national development and changes wrought by the development of the “iron horse.” Fall exhibitions will be anchored by “A Strange and Fearful Interest: Death, Mourning, and Memory in the American Civil War,” the first to draw exclusively from The Huntington’s deep collection of visual material related to the Civil War, using more than 150 photographs to explore how images explained, reflected, and shaped a national fixation on wartime losses.
Smaller, focused exhibitions opening in 2012 will include “Al Martinez: Bard of L.A.,” celebrating the beloved longtime Los Angeles Times columnist’s archive, a recent addition to The Huntington’s collections, and an exhibition of works by American Regionalist painter Roger Medearis (1920–2001), many of which are also recent gifts to the institution.
The Huntington also will present “Ancient Chinese Bronze Mirrors from the Lloyd Cotsen Collection,” opening Nov. 12, 2011, and running through May 14, 2012. The loan exhibition, organized by June Li, curator of the Chinese Garden at The Huntington, will offer the first opportunity for the public to view an important group of exquisitely wrought works with designs and inscriptions representing centuries of craftsmanship, aesthetic taste, dynastic change, philosophy, and consumer culture.
Other Major Activities in 2012
In April, the Japanese Garden at The Huntington will reopen to commemorate its centennial after a yearlong renovation project and the addition of a ceremonial tea house.
Also in the spring, The Huntington’s Library Exhibition Hall will close for renovation and reinstallation. The popular permanent exhibition space, which displays a range of collection highlights, including the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, a Gutenberg Bible on vellum, and a world-class collection of early editions of Shakespeare’s works, will reopen with an updated display in late 2013. Highlights from the Library’s permanent collection will go on display elsewhere at The Huntington while the main hall renovation is under way.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: An advance exhibitions schedule follows. Information subject to change. Please call or visit Huntington.org for confirmation. High-resolution digital images available on request for publicity use.]
Exhibition Schedule through 2012
MAJOR EXHIBITIONS
The House That Sam Built: Sam Maloof and Art in the Pomona Valley, 1945–1985Sept. 24, 2011–Jan. 30, 2012
MaryLou and George Boone Gallery
Sam Maloof (1916–2009) was a nationally recognized leader of the American studio furniture movement—a movement that favored the aesthetics of craft and the handmade over the machine and mass-production. His iconic chairs, tables, and other creations are renowned for their elegant sculptural form and virtuosic craftsmanship. Maloof was also an integral member of the art, craft, and design community that emerged in the Pomona Valley, at the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, in the years following World War II. A major survey of his work, “The House That Sam Built” showcases 35 important Maloof pieces spanning more than three decades of his career in a display integrated with approximately 80 works by 35 of his friends and colleagues who worked in other media. Maloof’s circle included painters Millard Sheets, Phil Dike, and Karl Benjamin; sculptors Albert Stewart, Betty Davenport Ford, and John Svenson; ceramists Harrison McIntosh and Otto and Gertrud Natzler; enamelists Jean and Arthur Ames; wood turner Bob Stocksdale; and fiber artist Kay Sekimachi. The exhibition gathers together works from several private and public collections to shed new light on the rich network of influences and exchanges that developed among artists and artisans living in the Pomona Valley in this dynamic period of American art. It is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog and related programming. “The House That Sam Built” is part of Pacific Standard Time. This unprecedented collaboration, initiated by the Getty, brings together more than 60 cultural institutions from across Southern California for six months, beginning in October 2011, to tell the story of the birth of the L.A. art scene.
Visions of Empire: The Quest for a Railroad Across America, 1840–1880
April 21–July 23, 2012
MaryLou and George Boone Gallery
Drawing on The Huntington’s unparalleled resources of unpublished letters and diaries, tourist guide books and travel narratives, railroad posters and stereographic photographs, “Visions of Empire” illuminates the remarkable changes wrought in the United States by the “iron horse.” Coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the Pacific Railroad Act, the exhibition follows the evolving notion of spanning the North American continent by rail from its earliest appearance through its eventual implementation in 1869. In doing so, it also depicts the astounding engineering feats and intricate technological advances required to achieve that goal as well as the striking entrepreneurial audacity involved and the vast amounts of financial and political energy necessary to propel such endeavors forward. “Visions of Empire” highlights the sweeping economic, social, and cultural transformations unleashed by the unfolding era of transcontinental railroads across California, the West, and the nation as a whole. Emphasizing in particular the lavish support that America’s transcontinental railroads received from the Federal Government in the wake of the Pacific Railroad Act, “Visions of Empire” points out that the launching of the first American transcontinental railroad during the 1860s represented a new and dynamic phase in the enduring struggle among Americans over what role they imagined government should play in building a nation and shaping a social order. Throughout the exhibition, viewers will encounter the voices of many Americans celebrating, critiquing, commending, and condemning the new world being stitched together in those decades with iron rails.
A Strange and Fearful Interest: Death, Mourning, and Memory in the American Civil War
Oct. 13, 2012–Jan. 14, 2013
MaryLou and George Boone Gallery
Named after a statement made by Oliver Wendell Holmes in 1863—“The field of photography is extending itself to embrace subjects of strange and sometimes of fearful interest”— the major exhibition “A Strange and Fearful Interest” will be the first drawn exclusively from The Huntington’s collection of photographs related to the Civil War, offering an unprecedented opportunity to bring this rare and evocative material to light. The institution’s deep archives relating to the period—begun when Henry E. Huntington purchased three of the “Big Five” collections of Abraham Lincoln materials early in the 20th century— supply the more than 150 works by famed war photographers Mathew Brady, George Barnard, Alexander Gardner, and Andrew J. Russell as well as an immense amount of lithographic and print material selected for the exhibition. The Civil War coincided with the rise of photographic and printing technologies that enabled the wide dissemination of imagery to a rapt audience. “A Strange and Fearful Interest” explores how images explained, reflected, and shaped a national fixation on death and mourning, focusing on key episodes to highlight larger cultural issues. These include the Battle of Antietam as the bloodiest and costliest military engagement of the war; the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the hanging of the conspirators; and the establishment of Gettysburg National Monument and other battlefield sites as national attempts at reconciliation and healing.
FOCUS EXHIBITIONS
Dreams, Disasters, and Reality: Goya’s Prints from The Huntington’s CollectionsOct. 1, 2011–Jan. 9, 2012
Huntington Gallery Works on Paper Room
Praised as one of the first “modern” artists, Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746–1828) addressed issues of contemporary political and social reality in his work. Already an accomplished painter, Goya turned to printmaking at the age of 46. His forceful etchings exposed the systems of power that ruled 18th-century Spain: a corrupt and despotic monarchy, the injustices of war and occupation by Napoleon’s France, the terrors of the Inquisition. Though he takes particular issue with the crown and the church, no one is safe from Goya’s critical eye as he satirizes human frailties such as superstition, vanity, and love in pointed and often disturbing images. As a result of the highly controversial nature of their subject matter, many of his prints were not published until well after his death. “Dreams, Disasters, and Reality” presents about 10 works from all of Goya’s major etching series, including
Los Caprichos and
Los Desastres de Guerra (The Disasters of War) drawn from The Huntington’s collections.
Blue Sky Metropolis: The Aerospace Century in Southern CaliforniaOct. 8, 2011–Jan. 9, 2012
Library, West Hall
The aerospace industry’s impact on Southern California in the 20th century—and vice versa—is explored in “Blue Sky Metropolis: The Aerospace Century in Southern California,” recounting that transformative era through approximately 50 manuscripts, documents, and photographs drawn from The Huntington’s growing collection of aerospace-related materials and other private and public collections. Nature provided wonderful weather, clear blue skies, and dry lake beds, and California was also home to a variety of related industries, particularly petroleum, and local universities, which provided cutting-edge research facilities and a steady supply of engineering labor. Meanwhile the fun-loving, creative, and dynamic aeronautical community contributed to Southern California culture, including innovations in surfing and hot-rodding, architecture and design. In addition to archival materials, the exhibition features a rocket engine, early satellite models, and a replica of a midcentury engineer’s desk. “Blue Sky Metropolis” is a part of the Aerospace History Project, an initiative of the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West.
Ancient Chinese Bronze Mirrors from the Lloyd Cotsen Collection
Nov. 12, 2011–May 14, 2012
Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art, Susan and Stephen Chandler Wing
An important collection of ancient Chinese bronze mirrors spanning 3,000 years makes its first public appearance in an exhibition highlighting some 80 highly decorative pieces ranging in date from the Qijia Culture (2100–1700 B.C.) of pre- and early Chinese history, the Warring States period (450-221B.C.), and the Han (206 B.C.-220 A.D), Tang (618–906 A.D.), and Jin (1115-1234 A.D.) dynasties. Drawn from the collection of Lloyd Cotsen, a Los Angeles businessman, philanthropist, art collector, and member of The Huntington’s Board of Overseers, the exhibition reveals the exquisitely wrought designs and inscriptions that decorate the backs of the mirrors, exploring centuries of craftsmanship, aesthetic taste, dynastic change, philosophy, and consumer culture. Selected textile fragments provide additional social, historical, and cultural context for the bronzes. The exhibition is accompanied by a richly illustrated catalog in two volumes as well as related lectures by leading scholars in the field.
Al Martinez: Bard of L.A.
March 17–June 25, 2012
Library, West Hall
Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and author Al Martinez (b. 1929) has covered Los Angeles and the nation for more than five decades. Los Angeles residents know him best as a columnist for the Los Angeles Times from 1984 to 2009. In his columns, Martinez chronicles the foibles, peccadilloes, accomplishments, and, sometimes, sad plights of those around him. He also has written several books, including The Last City Room, a novel; Reflections, a compilation of his 100 favorite columns; Barkley, A Dog’s Journey, based on his most popular series of columns, and Rising Voices, recognizing the accomplishments of prominent Latinos. Martinez also wrote scripts for television series, including “Hawaii Five-O,” and for television movies, earning a 1992 Emmy nomination for the CBS TV movie “Out on the Edge.” The Huntington, which houses Martinez’ archive of papers, presents “Al Martinez: Bard of L.A” to celebrate his life and career. Among approximately 75 items displayed are letters between Al and his wife, Joanne, during his service as a Marine infantryman and correspondent during the Korean War as well as columns from the Oakland Tribune and the Los Angeles Times; newspaper cartoons and ads depicting Martinez and promoting his columns; notes, corrected typescripts, and first editions of his books; examples of his magazine publications; scripts and call sheets for his television writing; travel articles and maps; and photographs. The exhibition also features an audio kiosk where visitors can hear favorite columns read by Al and Joanne.
Roger Medearis: The Places He Knew Best [working title]
June 16–Sept. 17, 2012
Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art, Susan and Stephen Chandler Wing
The concept of Regionalism took hold in the 1930s, when realistic painters in pursuit of a uniquely American art depicted life in the cities and in rural America. Throughout his career, Roger Medearis (1920-2001) was passionate about the concept of Regionalism, believing that if an artist were to paint the places and things he knew best, the resulting art would have meaning that would resonate with people everywhere. A student of Thomas Hart Benton, Medearis is known for carefully observed depictions of the life and landscape of the Midwest, East Coast, and California. In this lively, focused installation, the Huntington celebrates recent gifts of paintings, prints, and drawings by Medearis displayed with sculpture, scrapbook photographs, and other examples of his work on loan from private and public collections.
A Just Cause: Voices of the Civil War Era
Sept. 22, 2012–Jan. 14, 2013
Library, West Hall
To complement the concurrent major photographs exhibition, “A Strange and Fearful Interest: Death, Mourning and Memory in the American Civil War,” “A Just Cause: Voices of the Civil War Era” will explore the war-time debate on the causes and mission of “this cruel war.” The debate that began long before the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter became increasingly fierce as the war raged on and casualties on both sides piled up. Both sides believed that they were fighting a just war in defense of the sacred legacy of the Revolution, be it independence, the integrity of the Union, or the cause of human rights, all of which inevitably boiled down to the dispute over slavery. This battle for the nation’s soul is the focus of the exhibition. The title invokes the parting words that Abraham Lincoln addressed to his new general-in-chief, Ulysses S. Grant, in April 1864: “And now, with a brave army, and a just cause, may God sustain you.” The displays will present the voices of numerous Americans —Northerners and Southerners, soldiers and civilians, black and white—who defended their own visions of the just cause. Visitors will get a rare chance to explore these debates preserved in The Huntington’s famous Civil War collections of prints, pamphlets, cartoons, broadsides, sheet music, and private correspondence and diaries of soldiers, chaplains, surgeons, nurses, charity workers, and their families.
CONTACT: Thea M. Page, 626-405-2260 or tpage@huntington.org
Lisa Blackburn, 626-405-2140 or lblackburn@huntington.org
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About The Huntington
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens is a collections-based research and educational institution serving scholars and the general public. More information about The Huntington can be found online at www.huntington.org.
Visitor information
The Huntington is located at 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino, Calif., 12 miles from downtown Los Angeles. It is open to the public Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from noon to 4:30 p.m.; and Saturday, Sunday, and Monday holidays from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Summer hours (Memorial Day through Labor Day) are 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed Tuesdays and major holidays. Admission on weekdays: $15 adults, $12 seniors (65+), $10 students (ages 12–18 or with full-time student I.D.), $6 youth (ages 5–11), free for children under 5. Group rate $11 per person for groups of 15 or more. Members are admitted free. Admission on weekends and Monday holidays: $20 adults, $15 seniors, $10 students, $6 youth, free for children under 5. Group rate $14 per person for groups of 15 or more. Members are admitted free. Admission is free to all visitors on the first Thursday of each month with advance tickets. Information: 626-405-2100 or huntington.org.