Steve Martin donates $1M to art collection
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SAN MARINO, Calif. - Entertainer Steve Martin donated $1 million to the
American art collection at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and
Botanical Gardens.
The gift is seen as a boon for a department traditionally overshadowed
by the museum's European collections. Additionally, a new gallery
opening this spring will eventually double the exhibition space for
American art.
Three-fourths of the gift, which will be made over five years, will be
used to put on American art exhibitions, and the remaining $250,000
will likely be used for acquisitions or exhibitions.
"It's extremely rewarding to have someone outside of the core group of
supporters understand what we're doing and see how they can help and
really make a difference," said Jessica Todd Smith, The Huntington's
curator of American art.
Martin is a serious art collector whose acquisitions have included
works by Roy Lichtenstein, Pablo Picasso, Edward Hopper and Georges
Seurat. In 2002, he was filming a movie nearby and stopped at the
Huntington.
"I think he was surprised and impressed by the quality of the American
collection and has been supporting us enthusiastically ever since,"
Smith said.
Martin sponsored last summer's exhibition of the "maple sugar"
paintings of 19th-century American artist Eastman Johnson.
"We need more of this type of exhibition in Southern California and The
Huntington is clearly interested in doing just that - bringing
significant works of American art to light, contextualizing them, and
helping visitors become better acquainted with the artists, the
techniques and the significance of the pieces," Martin said in a
statement.