A mad scientist and his bird in a bubble: The story behind a peculiar painting
The Los Angeles-area Huntington Museum and London's National Gallery are swapping two paintings: Thomas Gainsborough's Blue Boy for Joseph Wright of Derby's An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump.
Two beloved paintings have swapped locations for a while. One went from California to London; the other, from London to California. No passports were involved. But the two museums where the paintings are housed — the Huntington Art Museum near Los Angeles, and London's National Gallery — are welcoming visitors to see these masterpieces.
The best known is a portrait of a rosy-cheeked fellow, maybe 15 years
