Petromania: Obsessing About Stones in Asia and America

Name: Petromania: Obsessing About Stones in Asia and America | The Huntington
Start: Sun, Jan 31 - Sat, Mar 27 2027
Location: The Huntington

Exhibitions

Discover how extraordinary stones became objects of art, imagination, and contemplation across China, Japan, and the United States.

“Petromania: Obsessing About Stones in Asia and America” traces more than a millennium of fascination with remarkable rocks and the ways people have collected, displayed, and interpreted them. Featuring viewing stones, paintings, rare books, and other works, the exhibition follows practices that began in China and were later adapted in Japan and the United States.

The exhibition further explores how stones became linked with poetry, painting, and philosophy. Drawing on gifts from James L. and Alice K. Greaves of the American Viewing Stone Resource Center, Kemin Hu, and local collectors, the stones and related artworks invite visitors to look closely and see the natural world in new ways.

three viewing stones of various sizes all on wooden bases

A small display with a gray type of rock that looks like it's held up by two tentacles. This rock piece is set on a carved, brown stand.

three small grey and white rocks place in a circular display with shelves

brown and grey rock with white vertical veining in it; on a wood base

a stone with red and black coloring and chrysanthemum-shapped formations

viewing stone with wooden box with Chinese characters painted on all sides; tied with a ribbon and bow

Mountain stone, 1950s–1960s, Kern River, California. Collected by Shiro Iwahashi. Gift of the American Viewing Stone Resource Center. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

From left: Dahua stone, 20th–21st century. Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China; Fengli stone, 20th–21st century. Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region or Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China; Fengli stone 20th–21st century. Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region or Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. All gifts of Kemin Hu. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Another World Lies Beyond, 20th–21st century. Ying stone, Guangdong Province or Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Gift of Kemin Hu. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

James L. Greaves, Evening at the Pond, ca. 2008; Hazy Moon, 1998. Mokelumne River, California; Bat, 1995. Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada; Waterfowl, 2002. Eel River, California. Promised gift of the American Viewing Stone Resource Center.

Hut stone, Shōwa period (1926–1989), 20th century. Shizuhata itokake stone, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Promised gift of the American Viewing Stone Resource Center. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Double Chrysanthemum, Shōwa period (1926–1989), 20th century. Chrysanthemum stone (natural), Neodani, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Gift of the American Viewing Stone Resource Center. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Red Cliff, Meiji period (1868–1912), 19th century. Stone: Setagawa “Tiger” stone, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Storage box: Ink on paulownia wood. Gift of the American Viewing Stone Resource Center. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Petromania: Obsessing About Stones in Asia and America

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Petromania: Obsessing About Stones in Asia and America

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“Petromania” Traces the Art of Stone Appreciation

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Opening Hours

Admission Info and Tickets