Exhibition @ The Huntington Library, Sam Maloof and Art in the Pomona Valley, 1945–1985

The House that Sam Built: 

Sam Maloof and Art in the Pomona Valley, 1945–1985

OPEN Sept. 24, 2011–Jan. 30, 2012
MaryLou and George Boone Gallery

The furniture of midcentury craftsman Sam Maloof (1916–2009) and the art made by 35 members of his circle of friends will be explored in a groundbreaking exhibition at The Huntington this fall. “The House That Sam Built: Sam Maloof and Art in the Pomona Valley, 1945–1985” opens Sept. 24 in the MaryLou and George Boone Gallery and continues through Jan. 30, 2012. Maloof’s work has been given to American presidents, collected by celebrities, and admired by art connoisseurs far and wide. It also has been the subject of major exhibitions across the country, but this will be the first to closely examine Maloof’s contribution to the development of art in Southern California. The exhibition is part of  “Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945–1980,” an unprecedented collaboration initiated by the Getty that brings together more than 60 cultural institutions from across Southern California to tell the story of the birth of the L.A. art scene.

Sam Maloof in workshop with hornback chairs, about 1960. Photo: Alfreda Maloof, courtesy of the Maloof Foundation

Using as its central metaphor the home that Maloof and his wife Alfreda created for themselves in the mid-1950s in Alta Loma, Calif., “The House That Sam Built” and the accompanying catalog will shed new light on the rich network of influences and exchanges that developed among a postwar community of artists and artisans living near the college town of Claremont. The presence in Claremont of several nationally prominent educational institutions—in particular Pomona College, Scripps College, and Claremont Graduate School (now known as Claremont Graduate University)—furnished a rich intellectual context for this community. Covering a dynamic period in American art, the exhibition spans the development of Maloof’s work from his earliest explorations of handcrafted furniture in the 1950s to 1985, the year he received a “Genius Grant” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Sam Maloof (1916 – 2009), Double Music Stand (1969) and Chair (1972), Brazilian Rosewood Stand: 44 ½ x 51 x 30 ½ in.; chair: 29 x 24 x 18 ¾ in. Collection of the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts, Alta Loma, Calif. Credit: John Sullivan, The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

“The House That Sam Built” gathers together 116 works from private and public collections, showcasing 35 important Maloof pieces in a display along with 81 works by his friends and colleagues. Among the members of Maloof’s circle represented in the exhibition are painters Karl Benjamin, Phil Dike, and Millard Sheets; sculptors Betty Davenport Ford, Albert Stewart, and John Svenson; ceramists Harrison McIntosh and Otto and Gertrud Natzler; enamelists Jean and Arthur Ames; wood turner Bob Stocksdale; and fiber artist Kay Sekimachi.
Born in Chino, Calif., in 1916 to parents who had emigrated from Lebanon, Sam Maloof was self taught as a woodworker. After serving in the Army during World War II, he worked as a studio assistant to Millard Sheets, an iconic California scene painter and leader of the Claremont art community. Shortly after his marriage to Alfreda Ward in 1948, Maloof decided to embark on a career as a woodworker and furniture maker. Maloof’s dedication to virtuosity in his craft and insistence on maintaining direct relationships with his clients is similar to 18th-century traditions practiced by American cabinetmakers and silversmiths and by the early 20th-century architects Charles and Henry Greene—all represented in The Huntington’s permanent collection galleries.
   
An Integrated Installation
Since The Huntington first opened the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art in 1984, decorative arts objects have been displayed next to paintings and sculpture in meaningful juxtapositions. Harold B. “Hal” Nelson, curator of American decorative arts at The Huntington, adhered to this integrated approach when organizing  “The House That Sam Built.”

Sam Maloof (1916 – 2009), Desk Hutch, Calif. 1970, Walnut, 71 5/8 x 43 7/8 x 21 ¾ in. Collection of the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts, Alta Loma, Calif. Credit: John Sullivan, The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

“The Maloof residence and workshop were filled with the finest examples of Sam’s own furniture and offered a warm and welcoming environment where creative colleagues met to share a meal, exchange ideas, and provide mutual support and encouragement,” he said. “Over the years, the Maloofs filled their home with artwork in all media by their friends and colleagues, reflecting their love of hand-crafted objects as well as their unique perspective on the world. The most natural way to tell the story of Sam and his contributions to the art world seemed to be through the integration of decorative arts and craft with painting and sculpture.”

Sam Maloof (1916 – 2009), Occasional “String” Chair, 1950, Walnut, maple, and cord, 29 ½ x 24 x 33 in. Collection of the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts, Alta Loma, Calif. Credit: John Sullivan, The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

As visitors enter the exhibition they will be greeted by some of Maloof’s earliest furniture—a round, plywood coffee table with walnut legs; a low, radically abstract “string” chair; and an office chair made for the prominent industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss. As a suggestion of a domestic space, these works will be shown beside a group of ceramics by Otto and Gertrud Natzler, a table lamp by William Manker, and an early geometric painting by Karl Benjamin. The painting is one of two works in the exhibition by Karl Benjamin. Also featured is #4, made in 1968, a recent gift to The Huntington. Millard Sheets (1907 – 1989), Early Morning Patzcuaro, 1947-1948, Watercolor on paper, 39 x 29 ¼ in. Collection of the Sam and Alfreda Foundation for Arts and Crafts, Alta Loma, Calif. Credit: John Sullivan, The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Across from this group, visitors can explore three vibrantly colorful watercolors—two by Maloof and one by his mentor, Millard Sheets—all produced during a trip the two friends took to Mexico in late 1947 and early 1948. In another section of  the gallery, paintings by Emil Kosa, Henry Lee McFee, and Milford Zornes will be placed next to a sofa, two chairs, a coffee table, and a bench. The bench is another recent gift to The Huntington. Throughout the exhibition, visitors are encouraged to view Maloof’s work as beautifully designed sculptural forms. “The House That Sam Built” includes three examples of Maloof’s classic form, the rocking chair. It also features one of Maloof’s largest and most elegant forms, a free-standing cradle. In an educational resource room, visitors can peruse letters and photographs, get a feel for the tactile quality of Maloof’s sculpted and smoothly finished work, and listen to audio recordings of members of Maloof’s circle discussing their abiding friendship and what it meant to their work.

This exhibition is made possible by a lead grant from the Getty Foundation. Major support was also provided by the Steven and Kelly McLeod Family Foundation and the Windgate Charitable Foundation. Additional support was provided by the Ahmanson Foundation Exhibition and Education Endowment and the Elsie De Wolfe Foundation.

Direct link:

http://www.huntington.org/huntingtonlibrary_02.aspx?id=9454