Christina Nielsen

A career survey of the Los Angeles portrait artist known for his spontaneous, blunt portrayals Over the past seven decades, Santa Monica–based artist Don Bachardy (born 1934) has created thousands of visceral, compelling portraits from life. Many of these poignant renderings are of Bachardy's longtime partner, the writer Christopher Isherwood. Other subjects include such famous figures as Bette Davis, W.H. Auden, James Baldwin and David Hockney. This lavishly illustrated volume accompanies the Huntington’s landmark exhibition, which explores the range and depth of Bachardy’s practice. Essays by art critics, biographers and some of Bachardy’s subjects offer fresh perspectives on the work of this inventive artist, setting him in context within a vibrant community of Los Angeles artists, actors, writers and intellectuals. The career survey is filled with evocative portraits and photos from Bachardy’s personal collection, loans from private collections and objects from the Huntington’s extensive collection of Bachardy’s work and Isherwood’s papers. This book was published in conjunction with The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Luminous and tranquil, Saar’s newest installation uses natural objects and materials to take the viewer on a spiritual journey This volume features the Huntington Library and Museum’s commissioned site-specific installation Drifting toward Twilight (2023) by Betye Saar (born 1926). A solitary canoe drifts on a bed of brambles, illuminated by a cool neon glow. Inside, three passengers are transported to a mystical destination by two otherworldly beings. Guided by the dawn, the dusk and the phases of the moon, they transition from one cosmic reality to another. Part dreamscape and part altar, Drifting toward Twilight conjures journeys and the constant cycles of the natural world. Like cards pulled from a tarot deck, each object inside takes on a symbolic power: a monumental canoe, birdcages, antlers and plant material harvested from the Huntington’s grounds. This richly illustrated companion book includes a preface and a 1973 interview with the artist by author and longtime friend Ishmael Reed. Other contributions include a profile by Hilton Als and a new interview with the artist by Sóla Saar Agustsson, her granddaughter.

Celebrating two collectors’ passion for Americana and the window it provides into the everyday beauty of the pastBecoming America offers a multifaceted view of one of the foremost collections of 18th- and 19th-century American folk and decorative art from the rural Northeast. Essays by leading specialists discuss the culture of furniture workshops, exuberant painted decoration, techniques of sewing and quilting, and poignant stories about the families depicted in the portraits. The collection itself includes Shaker boxes, a beaded Iroquois hat, embroidered samplers, metalwork, scrimshaw, handwoven rugs, ceramics, and a weather vane. The majority of these works have never before been published. With lively essays and profuse illustrations, this handsome volume brings to life the aesthetic of early Americans living in the countryside and is an essential exploration of the period’s taste and style.Distributed for The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical GardensExhibition Schedule:The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA (October 22, 2016–ongoing)