By Lonnie Burstein Hewitt. Photos by Maurice Hewitt, except as noted.
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| James' Mountain of Sculpture. Assemblage by Brennan Hubbell. |
If you’re a local art-lover, you’re probably familiar with the work of James Hubbell, and perhaps you’ve visited Ilan Lael, the place near Julian he created for his family decades ago that continues welcoming visitors today. Though he died in 2024, his artwork lives on….and now, for the first time, we see some of it alongside the work of his younger brother, Bert Hubbell, who spent most of his life in Japan and was an artist as well.
The OMA
exhibition, Brothers in Arts, was curated by Brennan
Hubbell, who is James’ son, Bert’s nephew, and an artist himself.
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Bert's Mountain of Sculpture. Assemblage by Brennan Hubbell. |
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Brennan Hubbell with James' Mountain of Sculpture. |
On an introductory tour of the exhibit, Brennan mentioned the similarities between the two brothers, who never saw each other in person again after Bert and his Japanese wife moved to Japan in the mid-1960s. But they kept in touch with frequent letters, some of them illustrated. Both men had happy marriages and lived near mountains: Bert near Mt. Fuji, and James near the Vulcan Mountain Range. Both felt close to nature, created their own art compounds, and produced an enormous amount of artwork.
Brennan, who was born after Bert left for Japan, finally met his uncle in 2001, when he went to Japan and stayed with Bert and his wife, Hiroko, in their home-- a great experience, where he got to see a lot of Bert’s art and lifestyle.
“To my Dad, everything was a work of art,” Brennan said. “He was a humble person who wanted to inspire people to create a better world. Bert was interested in Shinto and Zen and the ancient cultures of Japan; Dad’s work was like a prayer for the world and the universe.”
All the works in this exhibit were done in this country, before Bert moved to Japan.
“I think they both were in dialogue with their materials, seeing what their materials wanted to do,” Brennan said. “Bert called himself a ‘primitive artist’ and was never willing to sell his work; Dad was the one who went to art school. And they died within weeks of each other, after a reunion by video call, when neither of them could speak but they could still see and smile at each other.”
“This is really a family story,” Brennan added. “And I tried to create compositions of their pieces here that have an instinctual relation with each other.”
It’s an engaging exhibition, featuring works from the Hubbell Family Foundation and the Ilan Lael archives, and the wall-size assemblages Brennan created are a notable part of the show, inviting viewers to look closely and consider the stories that might be behind every piece on display.
The future of Bert Hubbell's body of work is uncertain. For more about Bert visit his website Unveiling the Remarkable World of Bert Hubbell
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Bert Hubbell, Untitled drawing. Courtesy Brennan Hubbell. |
For more about James Hubbell and the foundation he started visit the Ilan Lael Foundation
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James Hubbell, A Gallery at Ilan Lael, watercolor. |
And while you’re on OMA’s second floor, you’re just steps away from Aaron Kramer: Sense of Wonder, a collection of weird pieces made from salvaged materials, on view through August 23. We particularly enjoyed the artist’s printed statement: “Trash is the failure of imagination.”
If you have time, and the weather is fine, walk a few blocks toward the beach to check out OMA West at The Seabird: An Annex Gallery of Oceanside Museum of Art. It’s a small gallery on the main floor of the Seabird Hotel at 101 Mission Ave. where we found some unexpected delights.
Brothers in Arts: James Hubbell and
Bert Hubbell
On view through
September 6.
Oceanside
Museum of Art
704 Pier View
Way, Oceanside, CA
92054
760-435-3721
Hours:
Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Lonnie Burstein Hewitt is an award-winning
author/lyricist/playwright who has been writing about arts and lifestyles in
San Diego County for over a dozen years. You can reach her at hew2@sbcglobal.net
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