570006 - Old Town Pasadena and The Huntington Library and Gardens

Course Description

Located in San Marino, the Huntington is an oasis of art and culture set amidst 150 acres of breathtaking gardens. Three art galleries and a library showcase magnificent collections of paintings, sculptures, rare books, manuscripts, and decorative art. The spectacular botanical garden collection, which will be in full bloom this time of year, features over 14,000 different species of plants. The Huntington was founded in 1919 by railroad and real estate developer Henry Edwards Huntington, and opened to the public in 1928. Highlights of the collection include the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales (c.1410), a Gutenberg Bible (c.1455), Thomas Gainsborough's masterpiece The Blue Boy (c.1770), and Rogier van der Weyden's Madonna and Child (15th century). On display in the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art, The Huntington's American art collection includes works from the 1690s to the 1950s, including important paintings such as Mary Cassatt's Breakfast in Bed, Frederic Edwin Church's Chimborazo, Edward Hopper's The Long Leg, and John Singer Sargent's Portrait of Pauline Astor. The 12-acre desert gardens and the Japanese garden are gorgeous this time of year. There will be a no-host lunch. Wear comfortable shoes!