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| Joshua Reynolds, Portrait of Mai (detail), about 1776. National Portrait Gallery, London, and Getty Museum |
Joshua Reynold's Portrait of Mai will appear at the Getty for the first time this fall. The painting of a Polynesian visitor to 18th-century London was purchased jointly by the National Portrait Gallery (UK) and the Getty for $62 million in 2023. Mai is to alternate between the institutions. It was shown at the National Portrait Gallery shortly after the purchase and made a tour of regional UK museums in 2025–2026.
At the Getty, Mai will anchor an installation of Enlightenment portraits by Gainsborough, Goya, and David. "Joshua Reynolds's Portrait of Mai and 18th-Century Portraiture" will open Sep, 15, 2026, and run until the Getty Center closes for refurbishment Mar. 15, 2027. The Center is to reopen, with Mai, in time for the 2028 Olympics.
More on Mai here. Below, photos from Mai's UK tour.
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| Mai at the National Portrait Gallery, London |
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| At Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. The visitors seem to be making light of the notoriously inauthentic turban that Reynolds invented for Mai |
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| Fitzwilliam installation view |
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| Entrance to exhibition at The Box, Plymouth |
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| Installation at The Box |
Comments
> The Box is so
> much more
> civilized
https://imagedelivery.net/tbIWbJKEj9qx0hkgQ6WRMA/978ee9e8-2ba2-443e-fdbc-a7d0333d6700/logo
Not sure if it's actually sarcasm praising an installation in The Box (metal-mesh wall, meet gray-concrete wall), whatever the heck that museum is.
Brown/Pereira, Govan/Zumthor and 1965-2026 in general have long been a case of, "that's LACMA for 'ya." But I wonder if the museum in Plymouth, almost 200 miles south of London, is a case of, "that's The Box for 'ya"?
I also wonder if the director of The Box (per website: Victoria Pomery) doesn't bother making sure major objects in its collection are on public display too instead of storage?
If so, Victoria, meet Michael Govan. Michael, meet Victoria Pomery.
There's also a wonderful historical coincidence: Mai was painted in 1776, the very year we declared independence—now, 250 years later, he will make his Getty debut.
If he is displayed alongside other pictures, I would love to see the curators make connections to other portraits painted the same year. Maybe Captain John Stanley in the uniform of the 20th Regiment of Foot, painted in 1776 by Gainsborough (which I have never seen!) As a Revolutionary War officer, his story provides a fascinating counterpoint to Mai's, and the juxtaposition could highlight some remarkable connections across the Atlantic world.
Already counting the days until September 15!
Agreed. Especially when they're shy when it's time to pull the trigger.
Being cheap is doing them --and us-- no favors.
> deferral
I watched a short overview of the recent cleaning of the caryatids of the Elgin marbles. Those objects made me think of how much Britain in the past has sort of ripped objects off from throughout the world. So the UK's policies today are very much a case of, "rules for thee but not for me."
I recall an article about an artwork the Getty Museum tried exporting from the UK years ago, and the writer noting how Britain was loaded down with such pieces while the Getty had a comparatively meager collection.
Meanwhile, unlike the British Museum, this other museum has certain major artworks in its collection that should be on public display, but it doesn't bother doing that. A section of its galleries has a large wall/floor space where, on one side, a piece from Ruth Asawa is on display while, on the other side, this artwork from Larry Bell is placed.
https://preview.redd.it/lacma-block-party-v0-rgekisgukj8h1.jpg?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=7bc33937ee2856944b4625ab722d994240d29c4b
If LACMA owned the Elgin marbles, they might keep them in storage and instead show artworks from Josiah McEleny reminiscent of the Met Opera House's chandeliers. I wish that comment were fully sarcastic:
Stanley, though smaller, to me (from the online image) feels more compelling: a handsome, confident young officer on the eve of the American War of Independence. Painted before Saratoga by Gainsborough at his peak, it captures Britain at the height of its imperial self-assurance—just before defeat showed the empire was vulnerable. It feels like a core part of our American story and really belongs in a major U.S. Museum
... While in New Haven, have some Pepe's pizza.
--- J. Garcin
Is it JUST a Gainsborough, or American history memorabilia? In 2006 Revolutionary War battle flags captured by Banastre Tarleton sold for $17.4m. One, the regimental standard of Sheldon’s Dragoons, fetched $12.36m. And of course, there’s Griffin’s first printing of U.S. Constitution, going for $43.2m.
The Epsom Derby (named for the 12th Earl) inspired countless U.S. horse races, including the Kentucky Derby. Even more prominently, the 16th Earl (Lord Stanley of Preston) donated the Stanley Cup in 1892 while Governor General of Canada, which became the NHL's ultimate prize—now a cornerstone of American professional sports, with U.S. teams dominating its history. From Revolutionary War officer to enduring icons of American racing and hockey: the Stanleys have left a far more positive, lasting imprint on the U.S. than their 18th-century military fortunes might have suggested. A Gainsborough Stanley at the Getty would close that transatlantic circle beautifully alongside Mai.