A person looks at framed artwork in a gallery.

Collectors’ Councils

The Collectors’ Councils play a vital role supporting art and library curators in acquiring relevant objects that expand The Huntington’s collections and provide new opportunities for cross-cultural understanding, inspiring present and future generations at The Huntington and beyond.

The council members enjoy exclusive events throughout the year, including behind-the-scenes tours of special exhibitions and collections, as well as specialist-led trips to institutions and private collections near and far.

Art Collectors’ Council

Founded in 1994, the Art Collectors’ Council meets every spring to select works for acquisition presented by The Huntington’s curatorial staff. Annual dues: $10,000.

The Huntington Acquires Rare and Important Artworks That Expand the American, European, and Chinese Collections

October 2024: The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens expanded its American, European, and Chinese art collections in 2024 with acquisitions of works by Richmond Barthé, Helen Pashgian, and Gu Qiao, among others. These acquisitions were selected by The Huntington’s Art Collectors’ Council, which has supported the growth of the permanent collection for the past 30 years. Read more

A group of people look closely at a painting.

Members of the Art Collectors’ Council at the special viewing of Zhou Dunyi Admiring Lotuses by Qiu Ying, with Phillip Bloom, curator of the Chinese Garden, and Michelle Bailey, assistant curator of the Center for East Asian Garden Studies. Photo by SMG Photography. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Two people look at artwork in a gallery.

The acquisition viewing for the Art Collectors’ Council in 2022, with Dennis Carr, Virginia Steele Scott Chief Curator of American Art. Photo by SMG Photography. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.  

Three carved wood panels on a wall that form a semicircle.

Sargent Claude Johnson, Organ Screen, 1933–34, gilded and painted redwood, 105 × 264 × 2 in. Photo: © 2014 Fredrik Nilsen. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

A group of people smile at each other.

Members of the Art Collectors’ Council at the special viewing of Zhou Dunyi Admiring Lotuses by Qiu Ying, with Phillip Bloom, curator of the Chinese Garden, and Michelle Bailey, assistant curator of the Center for East Asian Garden Studies. Photo by SMG Photography. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Two people look at a painting on a wall.

The acquisition viewing for the Art Collectors’ Council in 2022. Photo by SMG Photography. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Two people stand and talk outdoors.

A reception for “A Conversation with Artist Enrique Martínez Celaya” in August 2023. Photo by Linnea Stephan. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

A painting of Moanahonga (Great Walker), An Ioway Chief.

Charles Bird King, Moanahonga (Great Walker), An Ioway Chief, ca. 1824, oil on panel, 17 1/2 x 13 3/4 in. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

A group of people gathered in an art gallery.

An exhibition tour of “In Our Time: Prints by R.B. Kitaj” for the Art Collectors’ Council, with Sabina Zonno, curatorial research associate of European art. Photo by SMG Photography. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Two people sit in chairs in front of artwork in a gallery.

A 2023 event for the Art Collectors’ Council featured Gee’s Bend artist Louisiana Bendolph in conversation with Lauren Cross, Gail-Oxford Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts. Photo by Elizabeth Clingerman. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Two people look at a painting on a wall.

The acquisition viewing for the Art Collectors’ Council in 2022. Photo by SMG Photography. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

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A group of people look closely at a painting.
Two people look at artwork in a gallery.
Three carved wood panels on a wall that form a semicircle.
A group of people smile at each other.
Two people look at a painting on a wall.
Two people stand and talk outdoors.
A painting of Moanahonga (Great Walker), An Ioway Chief.
A group of people gathered in an art gallery.
Two people sit in chairs in front of artwork in a gallery.
Two people look at a painting on a wall.

Library Collectors’ Council

Founded in 1998, the Library Collectors’ Council meets annually to select material for acquisition presented by The Huntington’s curatorial staff. Annual dues: $5,000.

Library Collectors’ Council Acquisitions for 2024

April 2024: The Huntington has acquired six extraordinary collections through the generosity of the Library Collectors’ Council. This year’s acquisitions include the 17th-century account book of an English owner of plantations in colonial Virginia and letters by Florence Nightingale, one of the most influential figures in the history of modern nursing. Read more

A group of people in a gallery look at a table with papers on it.

A special viewing of “That Which Endures: The Huntington Indenture” for the Library Collectors’ Council, with Sandra Brooke Gordon, Avery Director of the Library. Photo by Jamie Pham. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

A text document in a plastic sleeve on a black table.

“That Which Endures: The Huntington Indenture” presents The Huntington’s original indenture, signed by Henry E. and Arabella D. Huntington. Photo by Jamie Pham. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

A group of people sit in a library, clapping and smiling.

For “4x400: A Celebration of the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio,” members of the Library Collectors’ Council were shown a presentation by Stephen Tabor, curator of rare books. Photo by SMG Photography. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

A botanical illustration of a passion vine with moths.

In 2023, the Library Collectors’ Council voted to acquire an illustrated 18th-century scientific volume on the butterflies and moths of Georgia. John Abbot and James Smith, The Natural History of the Rarer Lepidopterous Insects of Georgia, 1797–1822. London, T. Bensley for J. Edwards, Cadell and Davies, and J. White, 1797 (but issued in the early 19th century). | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

A man looks closely at a book.

For “4x400: A Celebration of the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio,” a special viewing of Shakespeare’s First Folio was held for the Library Collectors’ Council. Photo by SMG Photography. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Two people look at an open book.

For “4x400: A Celebration of the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio,” a special viewing of Shakespeare’s First Folio was held for members of the Library Collectors’ Council. Photo by SMG Photography. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

A group of people stand behind a table looking at books.

For “4x400: A Celebration of the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio,” a special viewing of Shakespeare’s First Folio was held for members of the Library Collectors’ Council. Photo by SMG Photography. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

An illustration of a horse-drawn chariot.

In 2023, the Library Collectors’ Council voted to acquire a microscopic manuscript-cum-drawing created for a French princess in the 17th century. Detail of a drawing for Marie Anne Christine, Dauphine of France, possibly done by Pierre Mignard, composed in a microscopic text version of Ignatio Francesco Muligin’s Il Trionfo d’applausi ... (The Triumph of Applause). In Italian, microscopic drawing on paper accompanied by a manuscript on paper. France, ca. 1683–84. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

An illustration of a tobacco factory laborer’s garb and tools.

In 2023, the Library Collectors’ Council voted to acquire an 18th-century album illustrating the royal production of tobacco powder in Spain. Unidentified artist, ca. 1770, Depiction of a laborer’s garb and tools used in a royal Spanish tobacco factory. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

A large gathering of people in a decorated courtyard at night.

A “4x400: A Celebration of the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio” reception for the Library Collectors’ Council. Photo by SMG Photography. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

1
A group of people in a gallery look at a table with papers on it.
A text document in a plastic sleeve on a black table.
A group of people sit in a library, clapping and smiling.
A botanical illustration of a passion vine with moths.
A man looks closely at a book.
Two people look at an open book.
A group of people stand behind a table looking at books.
An illustration of a horse-drawn chariot.
An illustration of a tobacco factory laborer’s garb and tools.
A large gathering of people in a decorated courtyard at night.

Join a Collectors’ Council

To join the Art Collectors’ Council, email Sola Saar Agustsson or call 626-405-2225.
To join the Library Collectors’ Council, email Mona Shulman or call 626-405-2244.