LA Louver Donates Archive and Library to the Huntington

The Huntington will become the permanent home of the L.A. Louver Archive & Library which will preserve more than five decades of documentation related to Southern California contemporary art and cultural history.  

“The L.A. Louver Archive & Library expands our ability to tell the story of Los Angeles as a global center of creativity, advancing our commitment to scholarship and public engagement across disciplines,” said Karen R. Lawrence, president of The Huntington.  

The extensive archive and library will be fully transferred by 2029. Huntington and L.A. Louver archivists and librarians are currently collaborating to process and prepare the collection for future accessibility. 

Founded in 1975 in Venice, California by Peter and Elizabeth Goulds, L.A. Louver has been an influential gallery of contemporary art, presenting more than 660 exhibitions and helping to organize more than 125 museum shows.

Highlights of its archive and library include:

• founding documents from 1975, early exhibition records, and oral histories
• correspondence, photographs, publications, and flyers documenting the gallery’s work with artists, collectors, and institutions
• letters and materials related to artists including David Hockney, Leon Kossoff, Edward and Nancy Reddin Kienholz, Alison Saar, Gajin Fujita, Richard Deacon, and R.B. Kitaj
• administrative files, day planners, and photographs mapping the gallery’s daily operations

“The L.A. Louver Archive & Library offers an unparalleled record of Southern California’s artistic and cultural life, interwoven with vital Anglo-American connections,” said Sandra Brooke Gordon, Avery Director of the Library at The Huntington. “This gift will enrich the Library’s holdings in literature, art, business, and cultural history, providing scholars with new insights into Los Angeles as a city of tremendous creativity. Peter and Liz Goulds’ vision and meticulous documentation make this collection both unique and transformative for understanding the broader cultural fabric of our region.” 

L.A. Louver will shift its focus to private dealing, consulting, research, and projects, while continuing to develop institutional exhibitions, manage major commissions of new work, and expand secondary market sales, specialized collections development, and advisory services.