Doyle Lane: Master of Clay
Sun., Sept. 13, 2026–Mon., Feb. 22, 2027
Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art
From intimate vessels to large-scale architectural commissions, the exhibition examines how Lane expanded the possibilities of ceramics in mid-20th-century California.
More than 100 works from the 1950s through the 1980s, as well as archival documents, trace Lane’s evolution from functional pottery to monumental murals that transformed ceramics into abstract, light-filled constructions. The exhibition situates Lane within midcentury California modernism and the Southern California studio ceramics movement while examining the barriers he faced as a Black artist.
Developed over several years, the exhibition draws on extensive archival research and interviews with Lane’s family, friends, collectors and collaborators, bringing together works long dispersed in private and public collections.
Visitors can also view Lane’s 1964 Mutual Savings and Loan Mural at The Huntington, a 17-by-8-foot installation composed of 4,876 individually glazed tiles.
Related Events
The Huntington will host public programs during the exhibition’s run. Details will be announced soon.
Companion Materials
Exhibition Catalog: “Doyle Lane: Master of Clay”
A visually rich catalog expands on the exhibition’s themes, tracing Lane’s early years in New Orleans, his move to Los Angeles, and his architectural collaborations with prominent modernist architects. Written by The Huntington’s Gail-Oxford Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts Lauren Cross, the publication includes contributions by Associate Curator of Architecture and Photography Erin Chase and interviews with Los Angeles–based Black ceramicists Cynthia Folette Jackson, Theresa “Tracy” Williams, and Stanley C. Wilson. The 144-page book will be available in September 2026 at the Huntington Store and online at huntingtonstore.org.
Sponsors
Generous support for this exhibition is provided by the Henry Luce Foundation, the Douglas and Eunice Erb Goodan Endowment, the Neil Lane-Jacobson Family Foundation, the Hannah and Russel Kully Fund for American Art, The Philip and Muriel Berman Foundation, the Susan and Stephen Chandler Exhibition Endowment, and the Decorative Arts Trust.
We are also grateful to Terry Perucca, Annette Serrurier, and the Perucca Family Foundation for their support of the film about the artist that accompanies the exhibition.
