Multilingual Gallery Drop-In Talks: “Blue Boy”

Take a closer look at the iconic masterpiece “The Blue Boy” by Thomas Gainsborough. Informal talks will be held in English, Spanish, and Mandarin.

In this free drop-in program, join Huntington docents and educators for a trilingual exploration of Thomas Gainsborough’s masterpiece The Blue Boy. Offered in English, Spanish, and Mandarin, these 20-minute talks will explore the artwork, the artist, and how this painting fits in The Huntington’s collections today.

English at 1:30 p.m. | Spanish at 2 p.m. | Mandarin at 2:30 p.m.

A painting of a boy in blue clothing.

Thomas Gainsborough (British, 1727-1788), The Blue Boy, 1770. Oil on canvas, 70 5/8 × 48 3/4 × 1 in. (179.4 × 123.8 × 2.5 cm), frame: 85 × 63 × 6 in. (215.9 × 160 × 15.2 cm). | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

In 2018 The Blue Boy underwent its first major technical examination and conservation treatment in public view, in a special satellite conservation studio set up in the west end of The Huntington's grand portrait gallery.

The Huntington’s British and European art collection encompasses a broad range of styles, cultures, and media, from antiquity to the 20th century, featuring one of the most significant collections of British art outside the United Kingdom.