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Bishop Museum To Open New Picture Gallery Jan. 19, 2008
“With the opening of the new Picture Gallery, Bishop Museum will once again have a dedicated venue in which to share this extraordinary collection, and where visitors can experience the stories of old Hawai‘i and the Pacific through art,” says Interim President Mike Chinaka.
Bishop Museum’s extraordinary collection of visual art of Hawai’i and the Pacific focuses on art from the 18th and early 19th centuries. This collection represents a remarkable window into the past—a visual documentation of Pacific cultures at the time of first western contact and beyond. The earliest pieces are those of artists associated with voyaging expeditions of the 18th and 19th centuries, including John Webber—the artist who accompanied Captain Cook—and Louis Choris, the artist for the French explorer Louis Von Kotzebue.
Oil paintings from the 18th and 19th century will form the foundation of the Picture Gallery’s new permanent displays. More delicate watercolors, such as the first views of the Hawaiian Islands created by Webber, will be periodically rotated together with rare books and manuscripts from the Museum’s Library and Archives.
“The renewed Picture Gallery will be a place to experience the stories of Hawai‘i and the Pacific, to appreciate fine art, and to visually experience the Hawai‘i and the Pacific of earlier times,” says Chinaka.
The Museum’s art collection spans a broad array of cultural and natural history subjects, including significant images of early Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders and their lifestyles. Illustrations of flora and fauna of the Pacific region, incredible early views of volcanoes, and striking portraits of prominent individuals all provide us with important glimpses into the historical times this art represents.
British painter George Carter (1737-1794); Titian Ramsay Peale (1799-1885); international portrait painter Enoch Wood Perry (1831-1915); maritime artist William A. Coulter (1849-1936); John Joseph Strong (1852-1899); and volcano artist David Howard Hitchcock (1861-1943), among many others.
The new Picture Gallery is an integral part of the $21 million Hawaiian Hall Renovation Project, which began in June 2006. This is the first major renovation of the historic structure in over 100 years. Bishop Museum is re-establishing the former Picture Gallery in its original place on the second floor. When Bishop Museum first opened in 1889, it contained just three exhibit rooms, one of which was the Picture Gallery, which opened for public viewing in 1891. The Picture Gallery presented portraits of Hawaiian monarchs, photographs documenting many Pacific cultures, and books. Later, display cases, koa furniture, and busts of Princess Pauahi and Charles Reed Bishop were added.
The Picture Gallery was closed in 1940, to be used first for storage and later for other types of exhibits. At the time of the closure, the art from the gallery was either relocated within the Museum or placed in storage. Since then, the majority of this collection has not been available for public viewing, and many additional pieces have been added to the Museum’s holdings. With the re-opening of the Picture Gallery in January, the Museum will present the first showing of selected pieces from this outstanding art collection in more than sixty years. The restoration of the Picture Gallery is being supported in part by the Dolores Furtado Martin Foundation.
Bishop Museum Vice President for Institutional Advancement Amy Miller hopes the new Picture Gallery will bear the name of a prominent family or person in Hawai‘i’s community, either as a memorial to someone in the past or in honor of a living community philanthropist.
Those interested in learning more about the naming opportunity may call Miller at (808) 848-4169 or email her at amiller@bishopmuseum.org.
Following the January opening, Bishop Museum will partner once again with Morton’s The Steakhouse Honolulu at Ala Moana Center, to host its third annual Picture Gallery and Art Restoration fundraiser. Set for April 21, 2008, proceeds from the event will support ongoing art conservation and restoration of Bishop Museum’s art works. Last year, the Museum raised over $36,000 that was used to prepare art works for display in the new gallery. For information about this upcoming gourmet food and wine event, contact Shirley Amundson at (808) 848-4157.
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October 18th, 2007 at 1:04 pm