Doyle Lane’s Tiles Come to The Huntington

For many years, the Sanchez family had two remarkable tiles hanging in their kitchen. These pieces of art were gifts from noted California ceramist Doyle Lane (1925–2002), who experimented with various glazes and glazing techniques. And now these stunning tiles are coming to The Huntington.

Three people stand together smiling, holding two tiles.

Josephine Sanchez (left) and daughter Esther Sanchez (right) with Lauren Cross, The Huntington’s Gail-Oxford Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Lane was a longtime neighbor to the Sanchez family in the El Sereno neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was often a lunch guest and would collaborate with the late Esiquiel Sanchez on their respective home repair projects. To show his appreciation for their ongoing hospitality, Lane gave Esiquiel’s wife, Josephine, two tiles—made of ceramic pieces mounted on wood—around 1980.

When daughter Esther Sanchez, who is now a security guard at The Huntington, learned about the institution’s upcoming exhibition of Lane’s work, she shared the news with her mother, who felt the time had come to donate the tiles to The Huntington so they could be included in the show.

“Our family has enjoyed these tiles for many years,” Josephine says. “I am proud that we can share them with the public for their enjoyment and education.”

Two ceramic tiles in wood frames, each with abstract color patterns: one in green (left) and one in yellow and pink (right).

Doyle Lane gave these two tiles, made of ceramic pieces mounted on wood, to neighbor Josephine Sanchez around 1980. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Lane made his “clay paintings,” as he called them, by glazing slabs of clay and then firing them at higher-than-normal temperatures to achieve unusual coloration and effects. “Lane was a master glazer who created different types of clay surfaces to experiment with his custom glazes,” says Lauren Cross, the Gail-Oxford Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts. “His work ranges from his popular weed pots [vases with small openings for holding a few stems] and earthen vessels to his monumental tile murals and clay paintings, like the ones gifted to The Huntington by Josephine.”

The Huntington’s Art Museum is currently planning a future Lane exhibition. In the meantime, Huntington visitors can see another work by Lane in the June and Merle Banta Education Courtyard near Rothenberg Hall.

A large mural with red tiles (left) and a close-up view with “Doyle Lane” inscribed on it.

Doyle Lane, Mutual Savings and Loan Mural, 1964, clay, 17 × 8 ft., as installed in the courtyard of the June and Merle Banta Education Center, part of the Steven S. Koblik Education and Visitor Center. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

The Mutual Savings and Loan Mural, a 17-by-8-foot mural made of over 4,800 individual tiles, was commissioned in 1964 for the Pasadena office of Mutual Savings and Loan. The mural remained in place for nearly 50 years, but during renovations to the office in 2014, it was disassembled, crated, and placed into storage. After being displayed at the Landing at Reform Gallery that same year, the mural came to The Huntington, where it graces the Banta Education Courtyard. On public display for visitors to enjoy, the mural showcases Lane’s tremendous technical skills and unique artistic vision.

Gifts in kind play a vital role in expanding The Huntington’s collections.
For more information, please contact Amanda Greenberger, associate director of major gifts, at 626-405-2263 or agreenberger@huntington.org.