Hearst, off the hill

She also tracked down spectacular things that got away from Hearst's collection, such as Anthony van Dyck's full-length portrait of Queen Henrietta Maria at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; Greek vases at the Met; arms and armor at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; 18th century silver furniture at the Maximiliansmuseum in Augsburg, Germany; and two pairs of silver gilt gates made for a Russian monastery, now at Somerset House in London. And that's what led to the exhibition.

Hoyt Fields, director of Hearst Castle, couldn't be happier that it is finally coming to fruition. "It is really special for us to reach people who might never get a chance to visit the castle and see what Hearst collected," he says. For those who have been there, but only on strictly timed tours, it's "a chance to get up close and personal with an individual piece and take time to study it.

"Also," he says, "I think it's a teaser. Now you've got the appetizer. Come and see the entree."

suzanne.muchnic@latimes.com