Doyle Lane’s Tiles Come to The Huntington
Josephine Sanchez (left) and daughter Esther Sanchez (right) with Lauren Cross, The Huntington’s Gail-Oxford Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts.
| The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.Lane was a longtime neighbor to the Sanchez family in the El Sereno neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was often a lunch guest and would collaborate with the late Esiquiel Sanchez on their respective home repair projects. To show his appreciation for their ongoing hospitality, Lane gave Esiquiel’s wife, Josephine, two tiles—made of ceramic pieces mounted on wood—around 1980.
When daughter Esther Sanchez, then a security guard at The Huntington, learned about the institution’s planned exhibition of Lane’s work, she shared the news with her mother, who felt it was time to donate the tiles so they could be included in the show.
“Our family has enjoyed these tiles for many years,” Josephine said at the time. “I am proud that we can share them with the public for their enjoyment and education.”
Doyle Lane gave these two tiles, made of ceramic pieces mounted on wood, to neighbor Josephine Sanchez around 1980.
| The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.Lane made his “clay paintings,” as he called them, by glazing slabs of clay and then firing them at higher-than-normal temperatures to achieve unusual coloration and effects. “Lane was a master glazer who created different types of clay surfaces to experiment with his custom glazes,” said Lauren Cross, the Gail-Oxford Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts. “His work ranges from his popular weed pots [vases with small openings for holding a few stems] and earthen vessels to his monumental tile murals and clay paintings, like the ones gifted to The Huntington by Josephine.”
Josephine passed away in August 2025. “She had really been looking forward to seeing the exhibition,” said daughter Esther, “but as she realized that most likely she wouldn’t, she told me many times how grateful she was that The Huntington would be taking care of the tiles and that researchers and visitors could enjoy them.”
The Huntington’s Art Museum will present “Doyle Lane: Master of Clay,” the first major museum retrospective devoted to Los Angeles ceramic artist Doyle Lane (1923–2002), opening Sept. 13, 2026, and on view through Feb. 22, 2027. Featuring works ranging from intimate vessels to large-scale architectural commissions, the exhibition explores how Lane expanded the possibilities of ceramics in mid-20th-century California. The tiles generously donated by Josephine Sanchez will be included, ensuring they can be experienced by the public as she had hoped.
Doyle Lane, Mutual Savings and Loan Mural, 1964, clay, 17 × 8 ft., as installed in the courtyard of the June and Merle Banta Education Center, part of the Steven S. Koblik Education and Visitor Center.
| The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.The Mutual Savings and Loan Mural, a 17-by-8-foot mural made of over 4,800 individual tiles, was commissioned in 1964 for the Pasadena office of Mutual Savings and Loan. The mural remained in place for nearly 50 years, but during renovations to the office in 2014, it was disassembled, crated, and placed into storage. After being displayed at the Landing at Reform Gallery that same year, the mural came to The Huntington, where it graces the Banta Education Courtyard. On public display for visitors to enjoy, the mural showcases Lane’s tremendous technical skills and unique artistic vision.
Gifts in kind play a vital role in expanding The Huntington’s collections.
For more information, please contact Amanda Greenberger, associate director of major gifts, at 626-405-2263 or agreenberger@huntington.org.