Exhibit Design & Museum-Related Projects: Huntington Library
Samuel F. B. Morse’s "Gallery of the Louvre" and the Art of Invention
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Jan 24 - May 05, 2015
Scott Galleries, Chandler Wing
Samuel F. B. Morse, of Morse code fame, may be better known as an inventor, but he began his career as a painter. This exhibition focuses exclusively on his masterwork, Gallery of the Louvre (1831–1833), featuring great paintings from the Louvre’s collection. The six-by-nine- foot canvas depicts masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Caravaggio, Rubens, and Van Dyck, among others, in a configuration deliberately fabricated by Morse.
For this exhibition, I worked with the Education Department on an opportunity for visitors to play curator. Each visitor can design their own gallery space using various magnets of the Huntington's artworks - much like Morse did in his creation of the monumental painting on display.
 Placing the magnets on the blank gallery is meant to be a family-focused experience. |  Visitor placing magnets on the "blank" gallery space in the Morse exhibition |
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 The object panels have a variety of the most popular and notable artworks. Each is shown with its tombstone and location, so visitors can find the real objects easily. |  The object panels have a variety of the most popular and notable artworks. Each is shown with its tombstone and location, so visitors can find the real objects easily. |
 The background was directly referenced from the view through the galleries nearby |  The actual view through the Scott galleries that inspired the illustration |
All images are © Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens, 2015