Post #688735 by JOHN-O on Sun, Aug 4, 2013 10:32 PM

This thread sharing Frank Bowers' contributions to Polynesian Pop and other mid-century pop cultural style has been a series of great coincidences. It began with some non-Tiki related content that I posted (Embers Lounge), which lead the Bigbro to identify Frank Bowers as the artist behind the iconic Polynesian murals at the Pre-Tiki Zamboanga nightclub and Leilani Hut...

Running with this information, I was able to identify two other locations in Los Angeles (the Focsle and Bucaneer) that also had murals by Bowers.

Mr Smiley, inspired by these findings, decided to visit a local Las Vegas dive bar (Hard Hat Lounge) which also had a cool mural that he remembered. That mural turned out to be a Bowers as well !! His was a net new discovery.

This thread then started to come up in internet searches for anyone trying to identify Frank Bowers. From that, many other discovered works were shared here, in particular the mural from Vivian Laird's Jungle Room that Dustycajun had previously identified as the location of a potential Bowers.

Recently another great coincidence occurred which lead to the acquisition of two Bowers paintings by Tiki Centralites. This is really the Bigbro's story, but as he is traveling to Germany again for business, he asked me to share it...

It all began with Naomi (Mrs. Bigbro) having a brief employment at a high-end mid-century vintage store in Los Angeles. Naomi had posted some of store's Poly Pop wares on her Facebook page, which in turn the Bigbro (while engaged in film production in Germany) recognized as potential Bowers works.

The two paintings in question obviously required a greater degree of scrutiny, but if the Bigbro (who was already known to the owner as a "Tiki authority") were to visit the store, this might raise suspicion on the paintings' potential higher value (and at this point Naomi no longer worked there). Instead the Bigro dispatched one of his Tiki operatives, Bora Boris who is experienced in such clandestine tradecraft. Here's Boris on the right, undercover as Morocco Mole...

Taking additional photographs with a small camera housed in his fez, the images were transmitted back to the Bigbro for his further analysis. Even though the two paintings lacked visible signatures, the Bigbro's trained eye conclusively identified them to be the work of Frank Bowers. The lack of signatures turned out to be a blessing, as the savy owner could have easily researched their pedigree via Google search, ironically using the very content on this thread.

Boris was then instructed to procure one of the paintings. It was this portrait that the Bigbro selected as his very own "Kona Lisa"...

This left the second painting remaining, which the Bigbro generously informed several of us here on TC of its existence. I immediately jumped on that opportunity. To avoid any suspicion around the second painting being purchased so soon after the first, I also assumed a false identity... Mr. Moto, international playboy and collector of rare Hula Girl lamps...

When I inquired about such lamps, the owner pointed me to a pair which he said were recently rented out for an episode of "Mad Men". Asking about the price, he quoted almost $1000. I asked "for the pair?" He replied "no, that's for each." (!!)

Stating that I really wasn't interested in those particular lamps, I casually inquired about any other Hawaiiana in the store. The owner smiled and pointed me upstairs where the real treasure lay. Walking upstairs I spotted the painting exacly where Boris said it would be, partially hidden behind a large foam Tiki. Feeling a little light headed in encounterng an "unidentified" Bowers in the wild, I cooly asked the owner as to its background. He replied "Well I might have known 20 years ago when I first acquired the painting, but after all this time I've forgotten."

I tried to negotiate the price down but he stood firm on the price. While the price might have been steep for an anonymous vintage painting, I considered it a great bargain for a Bowers (and for a pair of nude wahines no less).

The deal being consumated, that makes it two Polynesian Exotica-style Bowers in the possession of the Tiki Central family.

Here's my painting (the GROG-commissioned "Unholy Bob" giving it scale)...

So is this all mere coincidence, or is it Tiki fate ?? :)