It was 1993. This author was enrolled in Art and Anthropology, an upper division general education course at California State University, Long Beach. One of the assignments was to visit an art museum, and lo-and-behold, right there on the approved museum list, was Bowers Museum. The facts that I grew up in Orange County just a few miles from it and knew all those years that it was a museum of California history made a return visit compelling. The Bowers did not disappoint and offered a deep collection of primitive art. It continues to offer visitors a fine selection of primitive art from North America and Oceania and stands out as the premier place in Orange County to enjoy such works.
Normally when people think of Orange County and art, they think of Laguna Beach. Laguna remains an art colony and an excellent place to find interesting artworks, but when it comes to primitive art, locals find themselves best served by Bowers Museum. The museum’s change in focus came about in the early 1990s and has served it well. It recently added a new wing that doubled its size and made it a real jewel in Santa Ana. That counts as the “why” of its transformation.
The “how” of its transformation has recently become public as well. The museum’s procurement practices have now come under investigation. Apparently, the current exhibits include smuggled Thai and Native American art.
Smuggling is not new to the art world, and such a colorful history often adds value to a piece. Collectors like the intrigue associated with their purchase and then related to their friends. Call it bragging rights. Now the Bowers Museum has bragging rights. There is some question of whether the museum’s reputation will suffer, but the opinion here is that it will not. People will find it exciting to associate vicariously with shady dealings and that will encourage them to increase their support of the museum. Fortunately, the Bowers has room to expand: there is an empty lot right across the street from it.
Rich Dudka occasionally comments on matters of art at Fine Art Pages [http://www.fineartpages.com].
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