Event

Members Discovery Program - Raqib Shaw: Ballads of East and West

Name: Members Discovery Program - Raqib Shaw: Ballads of East and West | The Huntington
Location: The Huntington

Members are invited to an exclusive evening viewing of the nationally touring exhibition “Raqib Shaw: Ballads of East and West,” including a special introduction by Christina Nielsen, director of the Art Museum; an inspiring performance by LA Opera; and a wine reception.

LA Opera will perform excerpts from Léo Delibes’ Lakmé on the Huntington Art Gallery South Terrace. This performance is inspired by Raqib Shaw’s lush fantasy world of landscapes and imagined interior spaces. This evening event is for Members at the Supporting, Patron, and Benefactor levels.

Enjoy complimentary selections of white, red, and sparkling wine as well as coffee and tea. Light bites and dessert will be available for purchase.

Questions or accessibility needs? Contact membership@huntington.org

Two walls in a gallery with blue walls, white trim, and wood floors; three large artworks hang in a row on the left-side wall, and a block of introductory text is displayed on the right-side wall.

Installation view of “Raqib Shaw: Ballads of East and West.” Photo by Linnea Stephan. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

A small dog sits atop an ornate staircase, looking at ghosts in the sky. On the left is an artist’s studio.

Raqib Shaw, The Departure (After Tintoretto), 2021–22. Acrylic liner and enamel on aluminum, 31 1/2 x 33 4/8 in. | © Raqib Shaw. Private Collection. Photo © Raqib Shaw and (White Cube) Theo Christelis.

A person in shadow stands in front of a large, vibrant painting depicting an opulent and cavernous room filled with artworks.

Installation view of “Raqib Shaw: Ballads of East and West.” Photo by Linnea Stephan. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

An enamel artwork featuring a person and a dog looking at a glowing square on an ornate carpet.

Raqib Shaw, Ode to the Country without a Post Office, 2019–20. Acrylic liner and enamel on birch wood, 31 4/8 x 33 4/8 in. | © Raqib Shaw. Private Collection. Photo © Raqib Shaw and (White Cube) Theo Christelis.

About the Speaker

Christina Nielsen is the Hannah and Russel Kully Director of the Art Museum at The Huntington. Nielsen received her Ph.D. in art history from the University of Chicago, where she specialized in medieval and ancient art. She has taught at the University of Chicago, UCLA, and UC Santa Barbara. She has over 20 years of experience in curatorial and senior leadership roles at museums across the United States, including the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.

About the Performance

This musical program, featuring Western music inspired by the lush landscapes and culture of India, presents selections from the melodic French opera Lakmé by composer Léo Delibes alongside Czech composer Walter Kaufmann’s evocative art song “I Heard a Bird at Break of Day.” These selections explore the blending of the delicate, exotic textures of French Romanticism with early 20th-century art songs while highlighting the beauty and connection between us and nature, the spiritual, and the transcendent. Learn more about LA Opera.