The Arthur Beaumont Retrospective Tour

The Arthur Beaumont Retrospective Art Exhibit closed at the San Diego Maritime Museum on August 22, 2019. The Museum Staff has estimated that over 70,000 have seen the exhibit during its 6-month tenure.

The 53 paintings and drawings of mostly US Navy subjects, cover the Navy’s Official Artist’s more than 50-year career. It's estimated that more than 1000 fine studio paintings exist in museums and private collections throughout the world.

The National Retrospective Tour is sponsored by the Irvine Museum Collection at UC Irvine, James Irvine Swinden, presiding. 
The Retrospective Tour will travel across the nation over a five-year term, visiting an anticipated 10 museum venues in all. Although discussions with some venues are still in the negotiating stage, the following is a list of venues that have placed the exhibit on their respective calendars.

Arthur Beaumont: Art of the Sea Exhibition Schedule

Los Angeles Maritime Museum: TBA
Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum (Savannah): January 14, 2023 – June 18, 2023
National Museum of the Pacific War: August 12, 2022 – January 1, 2023
Maine Maritime Museum: December 11, 2021 – June 5, 2022
U.S. Art storage facility, Los Angeles: June 2, 2021 – November 7, 2021
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum: December 3, 2020 – May 30, 2021 
Haggin Museum: October 14, 2020 – November 1, 2020
Bowers Museum: October 26, 2019 – February 2, 2020
Maritime Museum of San Diego: February 22, 2019 – August 20, 2019

2017 Book Announcement. Arthur Beaumont: Art of the Sea

Written by the artist's youngest son, Geoffrey Campbell Beaumont, this fully illustrated book is the definitive study of this important artist. As part of the family, the author drew on the family archives, personal anecdotes, and firsthand knowledge to create an intimate and thorough account for both the man and the artist. With an introduction by James Irvine Swinden, a preface by James W.Cheevers and a foreword by Russel S.Penniman IV, the publication is 272 pages in length, 9 1/2 * 12 1/2 inches, and profusely illustrated with color plates and black/white archival photographs. Published by the Irvine Museum in 2016.

To Order:

Call (949) 476-02-94 or order online at www.IrvineMuseum.org

Arthur Beaumont

Although Arthur Beaumont was not an American citizen by birth, he felt deep love and respect for his adopted country. His classical training as an artist and his fascination with the sea and the vessels which sail upon her led Beaumont into an association with the U.S. Navy which lasted nearly five decades. The relationship began in the early 1930s, when he was commissioned to paint formal portraits of several Naval Officers, including Admiral William D. Leahy. Leahy suggested that Beaumont paint studies of the Fleet for the Navy. At once Beaumont recognized the opportunity to record history and to create fine works of art simultaneously, as Henry Reuterdahl (1870-1925) had done for the Navy during World War I. Thus his art acquired purpose and meaning, allowing him to express creatively the patriotism evoked by his adopted land. In 1933 Arthur Beaumont received his commission as a lieutenant in the United States Navy and was appointed as the official artist of the United States Fleet. He served in an official capacity and as a freelance artist for the Navy until his death 45 years later, in 1978.

A Word From the Artist's Son

My early memories of my father are crowded with the events surrounding the conclusion of World War II. Through the eyes of an eight year old boy, in 1945, I witnessed the return of the victorious U.S. Pacific Fleet to its home bases in California, and I was thrilled to accompany my father as he responded to the countless invitations by captains and admirals to visit their commands. Beau would invariably spend two or three hours on the dock sketching the ever-changing Navy scenes. The working conditions were frequently difficult. Apart from the occasional inclement weather, the undertaking always attracted a crowd of admirers. The assemblage watched in amazement at the speed with which he would complete a fine watercolor sketch of a great Iowa class battleship or an equally impressive Essex class aircraft carrier, many of which had just recently survived the constant risk of a Kamikaze attack. The turmoil of the noisy shipyard activities made it difficult to sustain concentration, yet the result was an exciting stream of "plein air" works of art.