Bellosguardo Foundation, Historical Museum collaborate in the exhibition of works of art Huguette Clark | Press Releases

The Bellosguardo Foundation is pleased to announce the first exhibition of the works of Huguette Clark since 1929 at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum from early February to May 2022.

As beneficiary of Clark’s estate, the Bellosguardo Foundation received an extensive collection of his paintings. A selection of these will be loaned to the Historical Museum of Santa Barbara for this exhibition.

Trained by renowned portrait painter Tadé Styka, Ms. Clark built a profound body of work throughout her long life. Clark painted throughout his stay in Santa Barbara, using Meridian Studios on East De la Guerra Street, which is located next to the Historical Museum. This exhibition unveils his work for the first time in nearly 100 years.

“The exhibition of Ms. Clark’s works at the Historical Museum gives us the opportunity to share her legacy and celebrate her talent as an artist,” said Jeremy Lindaman, president of the foundation. “We can’t wait to show them, and many more, to Bellosguardo when we open to the public.”

Dacia Harwood, Director of the Historical Museum of Santa Barbara, said: “Huguette Clark and her family have had a long-standing impact on Santa Barbara. The Historical Museum has hosted numerous lectures on his fascinating life, and we are delighted to reveal his work to our community.

While this exhibit offers a taste of Clark’s legacy, the Bellosguardo Foundation remains focused on opening the estate. To allow public tours, the foundation works through the city’s conditional use permit process. The proposal adds ADA access and toilets.

The Historic Monuments Commission carried out a conceptual review and unanimously approved the foundation’s request. Since then, the foundation has been working on the technical aspects of the project and is ready to submit finalized plans and appear before the city planning commission.

The community is encouraged to visit the Bellosguardo Foundation website, www.bellosguardo.org, and add their names to the list of supporters asking the city to approve public access.

“Revealing Ms. Clark’s works for the first time in 90 years is just the beginning, with a lot more to come,” said Sandi Nicholson, board member of the Bellosguardo Foundation. “Our goal is to open the domain to the public as an arts center.

The museum is located in historic downtown Santa Barbara at 136 East de la Guerra Street. Entrance to the museum is free. The hours are currently Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. and Thursdays from noon to 7 p.m.