Past Exhibitions

European exploration of other lands during the so-called Age of Discovery revealed a vast new world of plant life that required description, cataloging, and recording. By the 18th century, the practice of botanical illustration had become an essential tool in the study of natural history.

The culmination of the second year of a five-year initiative called "/five," which this year is based on the theme of "collecting" and "collections," this focused exhibition features new work with related programming by seven artists who conducted research in The Huntington's collections.

This exhibition on American abstract artist Frederick Hammersley (1919-2009) showcases his sketchbooks, notebooks, inventories, and vibrant color swatches to illuminate the painstaking process the artist used to create his hard-edge geometric paintings.

Guillermo Galindo (b. 1960, Mexico City) uses composed and performed music, printed scores, and assembled instruments to investigate the politics of the human.

The two dozen paintings in this installation are the work of young adults ages 18 to 26 who are mentored by Art Division, a non-profit organization that trains and supports Los Angeles youth from underserved communities who are pursuing careers in the visual arts.

"Visual Voyages" will introduce audiences to new understandings of Latin American nature from a range of cultural perspectives.

Featuring 12 works from The Huntington's permanent collections, along with a number of rare drawings on loan from the J. Paul Getty Museum, this installation explores the profound importance of the biblical Creation narrative in early modern visual culture, as well as the diversity of its depiction.

A new exhibition opening this spring examines the life and work of celebrated author Octavia E. Butler (1947-2006), the first science fiction writer to receive a prestigious MacArthur "genius" award and the first African American woman to win widespread recognition writing in that genre. Butler's literary archive resides at The Huntington.

This exhibition examines the history of British prisons and how artists and architects documented the social, political, and legal tensions surrounding prison reform and Poor Law debates in Parliament during the 19th century.

A new exhibition opening this fall considers a rich dialogue between two iconic figures in American culture: the renowned photographer Edward Weston (1886–1958) and poet Walt Whitman (1819–1892).

Facial hair has always been more than a matter of fashion. Impeccably coiffed or wild and unkempt, a beard or mustache says a lot about a man and who he aspires to be. This exhibition explores how facial hair styles were used to craft the identities of historical figures and fictional characters.

Los-Angeles based artist Lari Pittman (b. 1952) is known for his exuberant, colorful, and graphically complex works. Huntington visitors can see the artist at his hallucinogenic best in this new exhibition.