The House That Sam Built: Sam Maloof and Art in the Pomona Valley, 1945–1985

The furniture of mid-century craftsman Sam Maloof (1916–2009) and the art made by 35 members of his circle of friends is explored in a exhibition at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

Maloof’s work has been given to US 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 is the first to examine closely Maloof’s contribution to the development of art in Southern California. The House That Sam Built: Sam Maloof and Art in the Pomona Valley, 1945–1985 will be presented in the MaryLou and George Boone Gallery through Jan. 30, 2012.

With the home that Maloof and his wife Alfreda created for themselves in the mid-1950s in Alta Loma, Calif., as its central metaphor, “The House That Sam Built” and accompanying catalog of the same title sheds new light on the rich network of influences and exchanges that developed among artists and artisans living near the college town of Claremont in the Pomona Valley. 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 the Genius Grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

“The House That Sam Built” gathers together 116 works from private and public collections, showcasing the Maloof pieces in a display integrated with 81 works by his friends and colleagues who worked in other media. Maloof’s circle included 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. The installation also will include two rare watercolors that Maloof made early in his career.

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.