Library Exhibition Hall

The Huntington Library is one of the world’s great independent research libraries, with more than 11 million items spanning the 11th to the 21st century. Only a small portion of the vast collection is on display at any one time.

Drawing more than 3 million visitors to the Library Exhibition Hall since its debut, “Remarkable Works, Remarkable Times: Highlights from the Huntington Library” closed on May 26. The beloved exhibition, which highlighted renowned works and contemporaneous items from The Huntington’s vast collections, will be succeeded by a new exhibition series titled Stories from the Library, opening June 21 in the Huntington Art Gallery. The new series will feature many items that have never been exhibited before. 

The Exhibition Hall itself was built as the original Library reading room in 1920. It provides a beautiful setting for these highlights while reflecting the building’s historic past. Along with the 2012 restoration of the original marble and cork floor, three dramatic chandeliers have been fabricated based on archival photographs of the original fixtures to evoke the space as it looked in Henry E. Huntington’s day. The former trustees room off the entrance foyer offers a multimedia look at day-to-day Library activities that are hidden from public view, including scholarly research and conservation activities.