LOS ANGELES, CA.- Daily Pleasures: French Ceramics From the MaryLou Boone Collection features more than 130 pieces from the finest collection of French faience and soft-paste porcelain on the West Coast. The ideal fusion of the useful and the beautiful that is found in these French ceramics of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries is the essence of what inspired MaryLou Boone to assemble her outstanding collection from the foremost manufactories of the era. Although originally made to emulate Asian hard-paste porcelain imported into Europe, faience and soft-paste porcelain ultimately became distinctive and sought-after ceramics in their own right. The collection includes wares for dining and taking tea, for storing the many toiletries necessary for a stylish appearance, and for preparing mixtures that comforted in time of sickness. Emphasizing myriad aesthetic influences, chronicling advances in technology, and reflecting the rhythms of domestic life, these objects provide a unique view of French customs and culture and continue to bring pleasure to daily life.

“This exhibition reveals and celebrates both the artistry that exists in the service of the utilitarian and the ability of this discriminating collector to bring together remarkable examples of that artistry,” said Elizabeth Williams, assistant curator of decorative arts and design at LACMA.

The exhibition and catalogue not only bring together years of MaryLou Boone’s discerning acquisitions but also recognize a substantial gift to the two institutions that Mrs. Boone and her late husband, Dr. George Boone, have generously supported and passionately championed. The Boones established a longstanding relationship with LACMA, where Dr. Boone served as a life trustee and the couple endowed the popular Boone Children’s Gallery. Similarly, the Boones have been benefactors of the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, where Marylou served as a trustee. In 2010, MaryLou gave approximately twenty-five pieces from her collection to both LACMA and the Huntington, significantly enhancing their holdings and bringing new life to their permanent collection galleries.