Every now and then, something serendipitous happens and, after all is said and done, you can't help but sit back and marvel a bit. So it happened with a lovely little conversation that turned into a full-blown magazine project spread across 16 glorious pages in the June issue of The Magazine Antiques.
The magazine's editors had been in touch with the Huntington's curator of American decorative arts, Harold B. "Hal" Nelson, reporting on his acclaimed exhibition about Sam Maloof on display in the MaryLou and George Boone Gallery last fall and early winter. It was during that conversation that editor Betsy Pochoda said she wanted to do something special for the magazine's 90th anniversary edition and thought The Huntington might make a great partner. What if Nelson were to pick a handful of artists and have them choose one of their own artworks that riffs on something at The Huntington, and then have all of this written up in a way that connects fine art from earlier periods to work that's being produced today?
In fact, it's a very active conversation at The Huntington today: What role—if any—should living artists play at a place like The Huntington that for so long has celebrated art from long ago? The answer can be found in the Antiques article by Eleanor H. Gustafson.
The Magazine Antiques can be found online at www.themagazineantiques.com.
Susan Turner-Lowe is vice president for communications at The Huntington.