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May Issue 2006
Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC, Features Exhibition by Artists Who Traveled to Bermuda
The exhibition, Painters in Paradise: The Masterworks Bermuda Collection, will open at the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC, on May 12 and will remain on view until Aug. 6, 2006, under the auspices of the Trust for Museum Exhibitions.
The exhibition will feature paintings by artists of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries who made their way to Bermuda and the islands to the south of Bermuda from such countries as the United States, Great Britain, Canada and France. While the artists were celebrated in their home countries, their work executed in Bermuda was scattered and fragmented, remaining virtually unacknowledged until it was assembled by the Masterworks Foundation of Bermuda.
Now the works of these artists and of native
Bermudian artists have been gathered together and are being shown
for the first time in the United States while the Foundation builds
a permanent home for the Masterworks Bermuda Collection in Hamilton,
the capital of Bermuda. The American exhibition will feature
67 of the 1,000 works that have been "repatriated" to
Bermuda.
Many of the images evoke life by the sea, sun and warmth, tropical
colors, flora and fauna, and the slow pace of life that many of
the artists so enjoyed there. Other works recall the history
and importance of Bermuda as a British colony and naval base and
as an island economically tied to the United States and Great
Britain that played an important role in both the Revolutionary
and Civil Wars.
By the twentieth century the United States and Britain had become close allies, and with increased travel and tourism the islands became a refuge for many artists such as Houghton Cranford Smith, E. Ambrose Webster, Winslow Homer and Georgia O'Keeffe. The many trees and flowers that are native to Bermuda because of its isolation and unique position in the Gulf Stream provided these visiting artists with new and interesting subject matter, in addition to the inspiration they took from the unique culture, traditions and architectural styles created by mixing British, American and African influences in a place with no indigenous population.
The Masterworks Collection continues to grow, and now includes contemporary works done by artists who, following tradition, come to Bermuda to relax and be inspired by the unique and natural beauty of the island.
The Trust for Museum Exhibitions is a Washington, DC, based non-profit service organization committed to providing the finest in exhibition and technical support to museums and cultural centers throughout the US and abroad. For further information, please visit the Trust's website at (www.tme.org).
Established as the Carolina Art Association in 1858, the Gibbes Museum of Art opened its doors to the public in 1905. Located in Charleston's historic district, the Gibbes houses a premier collection of over 10,000 works of fine art, principally American works with a Charleston or Southern connection. In 2005, the Gibbes Museum of Art celebrated the centennial anniversary of its beaux arts building at 135 Meeting Street; enriching the lives of Charleston's residents and visitors through the visual arts for over one hundred years.
For further info check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Museum at 843/722-2706 or at (www.gibbesmuesum.org).
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