Merlin

Maurice Merlin and the American Scene, 1930–1947

Jan. 19–April 15, 2013

Maurice Merlin studied at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1929 to 1931 addressing the social tensions that faced the city and the nation during the 1930s with images of strikes, unemployed workers, and Detroit’s African American community. This exhibition includes work of fellow Detroit-based artists with paintings, posters, and watercolors on loan from collections in Los Angeles and Detroit, and is the first museum exhibition devoted primarily to Merlin’s career.

Maritime

Britain and the Sea: Maritime Drawings and Watercolors from The Huntington’s Art Collections

This focused exhibition features fifteen rarely seen drawings and watercolors by marine artists such as John Thomas Serres, Charles Bentley, and Samuel Owen, depicting important battles and dramatic, romantic views of wind-tossed ships revealing a nation passing from the threat of war to command a prosperous peace.

Billington Lecture: Empires, Nations, and Families: Children of the Fur Trade

Jan. 30 (Wednesday)

7:30 p.m.  Free

Anne Hyde, professor of history at Colorado College, will talk about her book Empires, Nations, and Family, winner of the Bancroft Prize and a finalist for the Pulitzer. Based on research done at The Huntington, Hyde’s work describes the wide range of mixed-race families who lived, loved, and worked in the early American West and examines what happened to them as the 19th century progressed. Free. No reservations required. Friends’ Hall.

Vance-Swallow

Lesley Vance & Ricky Swallow

Nov. 10, 2012-March 11, 2013

In a dramatic departure from tradition, The Huntington presents the first exhibition of contemporary paintings and sculpture to be displayed inside the Huntington Art Gallery, showcasing the work of Los Angeles–based artists Lesley Vance and Ricky Swallow.