Santa Ana : International Masters to Be Shown at Museum

Paintings by such masters as El Greco, Botticelli and Rubens will hang in Bowers Museum starting in 1988 under an agreement reached between the city and the Foundation for International Exhibits, a newly formed, nonprofit organization based in Sacramento.

The Foundation, which is negotiating with Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain to gather the various paintings, selected Bowers as one of six museums in the country to display the masterpieces.

“This will certainly be the most important series of exhibits the Bowers has ever had,” museum director William Lee said. He said the agreement marks a significant shift for Bowers. “We are definitely interested in a higher profile.”

No definite dates have been set for the series. Lee said the three-year wait is not unusual for such a major undertaking.

The Santa Ana City Council, acting as the Bowers Museum Corp., approved the agreement last Tuesday and deposited $10,000 toward the plan. The three exhibits will cost about $50,000 each and will run for about three months.

Lee said the series will begin in 1988 with “The Genius of El Greco,” 45 pieces by the Spanish expressionist. “The Works of Tuscany Masters” will feature 53 paintings, including pieces by Botticelli, the following year. Forty-five paintings will conclude the series in 1990 in “Works of the Flemish Masters,” featuring Van Eyck and Rubens.

While the agreement marks the first display of international master painters at Bowers, Lee said, exhibits from other countries are nothing new. The current offering features an archeological display from Thailand and past exhibits have featured works from other countries, including Egypt and Tunisia.