Origins of the Masterworks Bermudiana Collection

by The Masterworks Foundation in Bermuda

Bermudian Art: It is perhaps fitting that the earliest form of “Bermudian art” was of a utilitarian nature. Elaborate maps created by skilled cartographers from the 17th and 18th centuries presented an entirely new vision of Bermuda. Instead of the barren and treacherous rock it was believed to be, explorers, colonists, and later, artists, were shown a Bermuda that was rich with wildlife and resplendent in pristine beauty—elements that begged capture on canvas, on paper or in sculpture.

The breakthrough came in 1885 with the arrival of the S.S. Trinidad, which brought goods—and more importantly, visitors on a regular basis to Bermuda. Between 1885 and 1900, artists began to discover Bermuda's inspiring scenery, using the islands' delicate and translucent natural hues in their color palette.

One artist in particular, Winslow Homer, is the best known of these itinerant visionaries. He arrived in 1899 to quietly paint the local scenery that he so enjoyed observing. At this time watercolors were his medium of choice, and they perfectly suited the islands' subtle color scheme. He created works that reflected a mood rather than a particular concept or subject. This was a significant shift from the dominating themes of portraits and scenes laden in oil that were popular at the time. As Dr. Helen Cooper of Yale University Press put it, "Here, as in the other Bermuda watercolors, Homer has abandoned narrative priorities to indulge his mastery of the medium and pleasures in the islands' luminous beauty."

When Winslow returned to Bermuda in 1901, he was by then considered one of America's greatest artists. In the Buffalo Exhibition of that same year, he put his Bermuda work from his first visit in the exhibition. No doubt as a direct result, a cascade of artists (as well as other visitors) began to arrive in Bermuda, laying the foundation for the wonderful art community that exists to this day.

While Winslow Homer might be the best known and loved artist to have visited Bermuda, many other exemplary artists contributed, either directly or indirectly, to the legacy under the Masterworks umbrella. Alfred Stieglitz, for example, never set foot on Bermuda. But through his mentorship with artists like Georgia O'Keeffe (whom he married; she later visited the islands) and his renowned Gallery 291 in New York, Stieglitz's influence had much impact on Bermuda. As a direct result of his efforts, many painters and renowned photographers found their way to Bermuda.

Additionally, the French cubist Albert Gleizes would also make his way to Bermuda in the years 1916 and 1917. Others included Charles Demuth, Marsden Hartley and Karl Struss. Bermuda had a profound influence on these artists and they in turn had an influence on the composition of Bermuda's art community today. Many artists came here innumerable times—Prosper Senat from Philadelphia first arrived in the late 1880s and wintered here almost every year until 1923. E. Ambrose Webster came here in 1910 and visited the Island annually until 1928. Niles Spencer, a modernist painter, came three times during the late 1920s, making a significant contribution. The modernist movement was prevalent in the United States at this time, again fostered by the efforts of Alfred Stieglitz and others. The angles of Bermudian architecture suited modernism well and many artists saw the islands as a natural setting for the genre.

The Wall Street crash of 1929 did little to stem the flow of artists visiting Bermuda's shores. Georgia O'Keeffe visited twice during the early 1930s. Marsden Hartley returned in 1935. The work they produced at this time reflected an introspective mood that demonstrated a sensitive observation of their subjects. Jack Bush, J.E.H. McDonald and Frank Allison, all Canadians, also joined the ranks of esteemed visitors.

During the mid-1930s until the outbreak of the second World War, two artists from New Jersey—George Swanson and Viola Appel—opened up an art colony for a six-week period at the Snow Drop Inn in St. George's. They were accompanied by numerous other artists, poised and ready, the islands charms and beauty ever calling. Much of the work found today by these two artists records everyday life of yesteryear Bermuda and is a revealing documentation of a more genteel and simpler time. It is this that gives Masterworks its drive and energy; thousands of works by hundreds of artists—Bermuda is blessed.

One of the strongest social commentary masterpieces in the collection comes from the Canadian, Jack Bush, an artist who was honeymooning here with his wife Mabel in 1934. Bush did a number of vivid interpretations of St. George's, using bold and imaginative color washes. In 1939, based on one of his Bermuda experiences, he painted a picture of a woman carrying what appeared to be mangoes. This is a strong indication of the degree of West Indian influence and culture on the islands at this time. Walking was the only affordable form of transportation of goods, and these West Indian women were a vital part of daily Bermuda scenes.

During this period, many Canadian artists found their way to Bermuda on the "Lady Boats" traveling to islands farther south. It is known that at least two of the Group of Seven, J.E.H. MacDonald and Lauren Harris, visited Bermuda, if even for a brief period. The outbreak of the second World War changed all of that and Bermuda became a hub of defense and surveillance in place of painters and photographers. The war made an indelible change on the islands.

Although The Bermuda Society of Arts (whose members included local luminaries such as Charles Lloyd Tucker and Alfred Birdsey) was established during the mid-1950s, there was a noticeable decline in artists visiting the island after World War II. With access to other destinations, artists seemed to turn their backs on the quaint beauty of Bermuda for more exotic subject matter. The exception to this trend was the artist Ogden Pleissner, who visited Bermuda a number of times during the 1950s and is most remembered for his vibrant watercolors of the Town of St. George. Andrew Wyeth also visited the islands in 1952, creating beautiful, haunting watercolors that interpreted the islands in his distinctive, muted palette.

Today there seems to be a resurgence of the visual arts in Bermuda, not only among artists who visit the islands, but also among those who make it their home. Moreover, new media are being used to express the beauty of the islands' scenery and its people. Desmond Fountain, Sheilagh Head, Graeme Outerbridge, Michael Swan, Sharon Wilson and Otto Trott are just a few of the local artists who do well at home and abroad, and are part of the "art boom" on the islands.

In the 21st century, who knows what Bermuda will inspire in the artists of today and tomorrow? One thing is for certain, however: there will be plenty of artworks that sing the praises of this unique, blessed and tranquil paradise..