The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens reopens it’s renovated Main Exhibition Hall with a dynamic new permanent installation.
The new permanent installation, titled “Remarkable Works, Remarkable Times: Highlights from the Huntington Library,” features some 150 rare objects grouped thematically around 12 key works, prompting visitors to make fresh connections and to consider each item in a wider context. The goal is to provide unexpected juxtapositions and new insights into the collections, and into history itself.
Renovations to the Exhibition Hall itself—a space that first opened in 1920—provide a spectacular “new” setting for the treasures while reflecting the building’s historic past. Among the most dramatic changes is the restoration of the original marble and cork floor, which had been hidden under carpet for the better part of 40 years. Three dramatic chandeliers have been fabricated based on archival photographs of the originals (and updated with state-of-the-art LED lighting) to evoke the space as it looked in Henry Huntington’s day. The building’s exterior and surrounding landscape have received some much needed attention, as well, including conservation of the statuary, stone vases, and fountain.
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108 626.405.2100
