Scraped up from the beds. Uprooted. Carefully picked and collected. Transported by boat. Beaten. Sun-dried. Clipped and polished. Sold to the highest bidder. The sponge industry of the colonial Bahamas as represented in Jacob F. Coonley’s ‘The Sponge Yard’, an albumen print circa 1870, shows neat rows of sponges laid out to dry, to be clipped, to have the animal remains eroded away by hours in the sun
The NAGB was welcomed to Nettica “Nettie” Symonette’s resort and cultural centre, Nettie’s Place of Casuarina, recently to appreciate Symonette’s efforts at sustainability and cultural preservation. Symonette is also one of the country’s most dedicated and prolific self-taught artists. She began painting intuitively in 2009, and she continues to make work at her studio on the Cable Beach property.
Nettie’s Place is a multifaceted operation, boasting a restaurant, hotel, farm and many other marvels. It is Symonette’s hope that the entire site will document the country’s evolution and cultural heritage.
Brent Malone’s “Metamorphosis” (1979), part of the NAGB’s National Collection, is on view in the R. Brent Malone Reincarnation exhibition. The work was donated to the National Collection by Jean Cookson.
Throughout his life, Brent Malone went through a lot of changes personally and with his work. But in its own way, “Seaside Village” stands out in R. Brent Malone: “Reincarnation” for various reasons. “Seaside Village” was completed while Malone was studying at Beckenham School of Art, London (1959-1963). It is from the collection of Anthony Jervis and is on permanent loan to the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas.
Though we are nine days into the new year, excitement from the recent Boxing Day and New Year’s Day Junkanoo parades is still in the air. It isn’t difficult to see why the tradition resonated so much with Brent Malone.
For many at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB), Brent Malone’s “Balinese Woman with Flamingoes” is a favorite from the National Collection. An original Malone, the painting is considered one of the gems that has been graciously gifted to the gallery over the years (in this case, by the kindness of Jean Cookson). Painted in the last decade of his life, “Balinese Woman with Flamingoes” resulted from the intersection of several events and factors in Malone’s life at the time.
“What to Do?”, a woodcut by Bahamian master printmaker Maxwell Taylor, is this month’s Art Work of the Month.
This month, the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB) had the pleasure of a visit by renowned Bahamian artist Max Taylor. Called one of the country’s foremost ‘master artists’, multimedia artist Taylor has been an invaluable member of the country’s visual arts community for decades. During that time, he has produced exquisite prints, paintings and ceramic works, many of which are on display at the NAGB and for sale in its Mixed Media gift shop.