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NEW BEDFORD WHALING MUSEUM TO OPEN NEW CLASSIC WHALING PRINTS EXHIBITION
The exhibition showcases masterpieces in the Museum´s permanent collection, the world´s definitive collection of whaling prints

NEW BEDFORD, MA (January 2009) - - Over the centuries, the hazards and pleasures of seafaring, the high drama of the mythic whale hunt and the beauty of the many exotic whaling ports around the world have attracted highly accomplished artists and printmakers to whaling subjects.

As the repository of the world´s largest and most comprehensive permanent collection of whaling prints, the New Bedford Whaling Museum is staging a Classic Whaling Prints exhibition showcasing the benchmark masterpieces in the Whaling Museum´s possession. Opening on February 27 and running through the year, the exhibition traces highlights of the genre from Dutch and German foundations in the 17^th century; to French, British and American masterworks of the 19^th century; to examples from Japan and the American 20^th century

"This exhibition brings together for the first time in many years an important part of the world´s visual record of whaling throughout the centuries," said New Bedford Whaling Museum President James Russell. "The wonderful and rare whaling prints and artifacts are a dramatic illustration of the depth to which whaling history has touched so many facets of life and culture, both locally and globally, and provide an opportunity for the Whaling Museum to encourage visitors to discover how the fine art of printmaking has been influenced by our whaling history. In conjunction with the exhibit, the Whaling Museum has developed meaningful support programs designed specifically for young audiences, schools, adults and families that will run throughout the year."

Drawn entirely from the Museum´s permanent collection, the exhibition includes approximately 80 prints, primarily European and American etchings, engravings, aquatints and lithographs spanning the period 1582-1930. These are being supplemented and placed into a broader, international context by a sample of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints, influential American book illustrations, Native Alaskan ceramics and works on paper and other artworks from the permanent collection, including some of the original oil paintings, watercolors and drawings on which the prints were originally based and a variety of decorative objects that were inspired by the prints.

Organized and written by Dr. Stuart M. Frank, Senior Curator at the Whaling Museum, the Classic Whaling Prints show is divided into five sections that provide historical context and geographic focus. Among the prints from "The Dutch Golden Age" is a somber engraving from the 1630s by Magdalena van de Pas, one of the few women ever to do a whaling scene. Notable among the several important prints and paintings in "The British Go Whaling" section are the works of William John Huggins, one of the most accomplished marine painters of the 19^th century. "The French Are the Lads" section, the title of which comes from the words of Herman Melville in Moby-Dick, features Melville´s four favorite whaling prints, all by French marine artists. Two of the four are extremely rare and seldom seen one exists only at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. When the value of the whale fishery increased dramatically with the discovery of sperm whales offshore around 1712, the ships got larger, the voyages got longer and whaling grounds expanded to encompass the entire Atlantic and eventually the Pacific, Indian and Arctic oceans. By the 19^th century - "The American Century" - whaling and its network of shore side industries had become key factors in the national and regional economies. Finally, "Along the Pacific Rim" samples prints by Japanese and Eskimo artists whose work exemplifies alternative pictorial means to represent their respective indigenous whaling traditions.

Describing the show´s design as appealing to connoisseurs and collectors of fine prints as well as to students of whaling history, Mr. Russell said, "The exhibition provides another chapter in the nation´s chronicle of the whaling industry and culture, and demonstrates yet again the Whaling Museum´s leading role in preserving and advancing the whaling narrative."