In Search of Frank Bowers...

Very fine field work, TikiVato! Regrettably, the news on the Beachcomber Bar is sad, but at least we know. Bosko’s napkin may be our only taste of the glory that was once there… And best regards to Alfredo Derek for his help and interest.

I was about to post this when I saw your latest, so some of it covers the same ground, like the original name of the hotel...

Sven, as you observed, the The Journal of San Diego History article previously cited states that the Centro Social, Cívico y Cultural Riviera is the site of the former Hotel Riviera del Pacífico. When originally constructed, the hotel and casino was known as the Hotel Playa de Ensenada, according to this web site that has historic photos of the hotel under construction and of the bar with the mural, known at that time as the Bar Andaluz, one of the sites claimed for the origin of the Margarita cocktail...

Bar Andaluz

Hotel Playa de Ensenada viewed from the sea

Dolores del Río and friends at Hotel Playa

Here’s another web site that goes into the Margarita story a bit and has some historic photos as well. After using the Google translator, here’s an excerpt...

-Tom

[ Edited by: TikiTomD 2012-05-18 16:18 ]

Tom,

Thanks for corroborating the information I was able to research. I did purchase a book with a complete history and photographs. I am taking it to Don's in June if anyone wants to browse through it. Sven and John-O have first crack at it.

Great work Joe !! Your identification of those Ramos Martinez paintings may very well be a significant discovery in itself. That one with the devils and the nude is pretty kinky, very "Boweresque" !! :)

Thanks for filling in the missing puzzle pieces, I'm sure your command of Spanish enabled the mystery to be solved much more quickly and completely than if one of us Tiki "gringos" made the jaunt down there.

John-O,
You and Sven are welcome to come with me on my next trip down. I have a Yukon that seats 8 and my place on the beach is 6.1 miles south of the cultural center. I have been coming down here for over 40 years and have never had a problem. I know where to go and where to stay the hell out of. ROAD TRIP???

On 2012-05-18 13:06, TikiTomD wrote:

I was about to post this when I saw your latest, so some of it is covers the same ground, like the original name of the hotel...

Sven, as you observed, the The Journal of San Diego History article previously cited states that the Centro Social, Cívico y Cultural Riviera is the site of the former Hotel Riviera del Pacífico. When originally constructed, the hotel and casino was known as the Hotel Playa de Ensenada, according to this web site that has historic photos of the hotel under construction and of the bar with the mural, known at that time as the Bar Andaluz, one of the sites claimed for the origin of the Margarita cocktail...

Bar Andaluz

-Tom

By the way Tom, the bar is still called Andaluz. Very historic looking, well restored with great Margarita's. They make all their drinks with a stiff pour.

Mahalo,

TikiVato

[ Edited by: TikiVato 2012-05-18 15:31 ]

TikiVato, now you're tempting me to cross the continent and join you in the Baja. I love my tropical cocktails, but a well-made, stiff Margarita is a thing of bliss...

-Tom

Let me tempt you some more. This is my view from my front yard overlooking the ocean. I have had many a Mai Tai's and Margarita's watching the sun set.

Mucho Mahalos, Vato, that would be a fun excursion indeed!
....but I won't be back from my movie job in the Alps until mid July. Here's my view while on location :) :

And here is my view while I am prepping in Munich :D :

If I may, I'd like to add to the comments here about Margaritas. I have, in the past two years, come to discover that with tequilas, just like rum, there are huge differences. Having discovered the finer Don Julio tequilas on a business trip, I was surprised how quickly I found myself making comparisons to my discovery many years ago of the differences between crappy and craftsmanship rums. I used to tell everyone I could not tolerate tequila. Then I found that there are truly good-tasting tequilas out there. Now I keep a bottle of Don Julio at home and share the discovery with others. I find the Don Julio brand is way better than the popular Patron brand which I really don't care for. They say Don Julio is "what the locals drink." I'd be interested in what TikiVato knows about this from his time down in Ensenada.

Sorry if this is off-topic...

Frank

Sounds like my problem, too: I love Margaritas, but don't like to wake up with the feeling of Tequila still in my bloodstream the morning after :)
But like you said, this is off-topic and should perhaps be answered/discussed in p.m.'s, or in the "Beyond Tiki" section here:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=3919&forum=6

I wonder what Frank Bowers drank....

Well we do know he enjoyed his drinks. A lot !!

The story that he painted murals to pay off bar tabs has been independently associated with at least 3 locations.

What an awesome view Sven. That drink is just icing on the cake. I just got home from my expedition. Watta trip but it was way too short. Gotta return so I can pick Alfonso and Alfredo's brains.

Mahalo,

TikiVato

[ Edited by: TikiVato 2012-05-20 00:20 ]

On 2012-05-18 01:44, bigbrotiki wrote:

That character in the napkin mural painting reminds me of a young Hemingway.

I managed to pick up one of the Vivan Laird Jungle Room postcards.

Did a zoom on the mural

Surely a Frank Bowers in all of its glory.

DC

Thanks John-O for the expedition to the Foc'sle today. I loved the mural and have been to the buccaneer a few times, great research here...I showed a friend the photo that you took today and he immediately said that looks like the same guy that did the mural at the buc...

It is high time we get to see a photo of the artiste:

Great photo Bigbro. Story?

I saw this menu from the South Seas in Anaheim....

Which confirmed the presence of Frank Bowers murals.

Check out the description of the murals on the back cover.

Feast your eyes indeed!

Vivan Laird must have had a pretty good relationship with Bowers to have his murals in all of her restaurants.

DC

Ouuuh man...all that lost art...:cry:

That even looks like a 3D mural, with that native maiden cut out!

Very significant Bowers find. Thanks DC !! :)

By the way, I am not sure if the menu cover design was done by Bowers. It was a generic template used by other tropical restaurants at the time:

The native maiden here is more in Bowers style than some of the line art on the previous pages, but I tried to compare the palm trees and came back with the impression that Bowers must not have liked them:

Not even in his clearly Polynesian paintings for the Leilani Hut and the Zamboanga did he make much use of them. This is interestingly unusual considering what a standard prop the palm was in any island girl scene at that time!

More Frank Bowers; http://ketchikanartliveshere.org/art-in-ketchikan/ketchikan-public-art-works/kpaw-index/frank-bowers/
http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4570619216725104&pid=15.1
Frank Bowers

Title: The Gamblers/Saloon Scene

Comments: Painted it to pay for bill
Needs cleaning/poor lighting
At one time, cut in half…only half remains

Created: 1949

Location: Sourdough Bar
301 Front St
Ketchikan, AK 99901

(907) 225-2217

Public Space: Yes , Viewing Hours: When Sourdough Bar is open, can view

.....
From Liveauctioneers in 2011;
http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4595873639302263&pid=15.1

TAVERN, 1949, oil painting on canvas, signed and dated lower right, 48 x 42", some perimeter wear, surface scuffs and soiling, otherwise in good condition.

....

I'm the most thirstiesterest of all!
TRADER VIC'S, Vintage, Vegas & more on EBAY 1957SPUTNIK
http://shop.ebay.com/1957sputnik/m.html
If you like it, it is ZAZZ! If you don't it is RAZZ!

[ Edited by: mrsmiley 2013-03-12 01:06 ]

[ Edited by: mrsmiley 2013-03-12 01:07 ]

Frank Howard Bowers grave info;
Birth: Nov. 20, 1905
Death: Dec. 11, 1964

Note: Date of Interment: February 08, 1965

Burial:
Sunnyside Cemetery
Long Beach
Los Angeles County
California, USA
Plot: S W Magnolia, Section 136, Grave 5

Created by: Randall Waldrep
Record added: Feb 08, 2003
Find A Grave Memorial# 7162464

On 2009-10-02 11:38, JOHN-O wrote:
Here's some more background on Frank Bowers that I was able to dig up.

In an earlier post, I noted there were 1930's-era Bowers murals at South Gate City Hall (8650 California Ave). I'm assuming they're still there, I'll need to pay a visit. I noticed that works of this era were done in conjunction with an Arthur Prunier.

http://www.grconnect.com/murals/html/p8291022.html

What a range of work !! You can find Bowers in city government offices and corporate boardrooms as well as the diviest of LA dive bars.

[/quote
I am adding the pictures from Grconnect because it looks like that site may be dead.

Location: South Gate City Hall
Address: 8650 California Ave. (near Firestone Blvd.)
Artist: Frank Bowers, Arthur Prunier
Sponsor: Federal Art Project
Keywords: interior, community, mural
Area: Vernon to Compton

Bruce - Ketchikan, grave site, etc...it's all been covered in the previous pages here, babe.

I would love to find some more examples of his story board artist work for the studios. before he went all muralist.

Last month I was contacted by someone named Terri and she said she may have located a rather large Frank Bowers mural. She found Tiki Central and contacted me to see if I could help identify it. I asked her to please send me some photos. In the meantime I figured she may have already seen the In Search of Frank Bowers thread but I specifically pointed out to her a postcard that Dustycajun posted of Vivian Laird's Restaurant and Jungle Room:

Close up of the mural:

She replied with the following:
"Break out the cocktails because we have something to celebrate! It's undoubtedly a match."

Shortly after, I received some photos of it. This mural is about six feet tall and thirty feet long and is certainly not the easiest thing to photograph. Here are the photos from left to right, section by section.

I asked Terri how she managed to find this thing. She said a good friend of hers was hired to do some repair work and clean-up at a residence in the Palm Springs area. In return he was allowed to keep the mural, which apparently was all rolled up, among several rolls of upholstery fabric. He brought it over to her and they soon discovered that it was signed by Frank Bowers. After a little investigative search on the internet they found Tiki Central and contacted me.

Terri tells me,

It has been appraised and it is for sale, the price negotiable. It is in the Palm Springs, CA area. I'm still trying to find out how it got from Vivian Lairds to a house in Palm Springs. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, if anyone is interested in purchasing this monster mural (6ft x 30ft), please let me know. Thanks so much!

Cheers!

Well there you have it. If anyone here is interested in possibly purchasing this historic Frank Bowers mural please PM me and I'll forward your contact information to Terri.

Mahalo!

-Haka

Edited to lock images in a vertical format.

[ Edited by: Hakalugi 2013-04-09 12:44 ]

As the late Huell Howser would have said "That's Amazing!" One of the reasons that Tiki Central is so great, that finds like these come to light through the internet search button.

Thanks for posting Haka. So, whose gonna step up and buy that beauty?

DC

To see actual photos that iconic Vivian Lairds mural in color is truly a feast for the eyes! Thanks for posting these, Haka. I hope someone who owns an operational bar can purchase this mural and display it. I'd love to visit it.

Huzzah! Another lost work of art is rescued from neglect and potential destruction by someone's keen eye, intuition, and curiosity.

Well done.

Now for a tikiphile to rescue it! (despite it not being tiki, I just trust them the most to do it justice)

On 2013-04-09 00:53, Bruddah Bear wrote:

Huzzah! Another lost work of art is rescued from neglect and potential destruction by someone's keen eye, intuition, and curiosity.

Well done.

...and it has surfaced here thanks to the combined efforts of several dedicated TC urban archeologists whose findings have created the best web resource on the artist here.

Indeed a great discovery!

Hey the Hard Hat Lounge website has a link to this TC thread !!

I'm still floored by mrsmiley's fantastic discovery.

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 ?? :)

Congrats John on your patron of the arts status!

Nice story John-O. You made me feel like I there. Congrats to you and Sven for your great purchases. Bowers is on my bucket list to add to my humble collection although it will probably always stay on the list. Maybe next time Rosemarie and I are in Santa Monica we can stop by and see your find in person. I promise not to drool on it.

Well played, Mr. Moto!!!

Great story, John-O.

-Tom

Very Cool, congrats!

Hard to tell for sure, but it looks like the two paintings have the same frame style. I theorize that the paintings were once part of a larger mural, but someone cut up and framed the more marketable portions. (That would explain the absence of a Bowers signature.) These two may then have passed through several hands, before the current seller acquired them - leading to loss of information about the source, along the way.

Maybe JOHN-O or BigBro can examine whether the painting goes to the very edges of the canvas, including the part that wraps around the canvas frame. If so, that would be a strong indication that they were cut from a larger work.

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2013-08-05 09:32 ]

On 2013-08-05 09:28, Limbo Lizard wrote:
Hard to tell for sure, but it looks like the two paintings have the same frame style. I theorize that the paintings were once part of a larger mural, but someone cut up and framed the more marketable portions. (That would explain the absence of a Bowers signature.) These two may then have passed through several hands, before the current seller acquired them - leading to loss of information about the source, along the way.

Maybe JOHN-O or BigBro can examine whether the painting goes to the very edges of the canvas, including the part that wraps around the canvas frame. If so, that would be a strong indication that they were cut from a larger work.

Interesting theory there, however if you compare the two paintings with our respective hands for comparison, it appears they were painted in different scales. Maybe Boris can chime in as he's the only one to have closely compared the two paintings in person.

The Bigbro's painting had gaffer's tape around the hanging wire, so he thinks they were used as movie props. Perhaps somehow related to Bowers' story board work, or more probably a studio acquiring them from some closed South Seas business ?

I'm tempted to remove the frame to see if any secrets lie underneath, but I kinda like the aura of mystery. :)

Don't forget that Bowers did work for the studios doing back drops. So a studio having this hanging around is not out of the question. As for cut from the same larger image it's possible but the seller pointed out the similarity of the girl in Sven's painting and the girl in the foreground of John-O's although that doesn't mean anything there could have been a dozen of these ladies running around in a larger painting but those two being close kinda makes me think he'd mix it up a bit more and also the solo girl's patina is a lot different than that of John-O's painting but they could have been stored differently?

There, now we have a solid Non Answer.

Damn! Shouldn't have checked out this thread. Now GROG know what John-O got GROG for GROG' birthday coming up in September. Don't worry John-O GROG still act surprised when GROG unwrap it. :wink:

Congratulations Sven and JOHN-O!

Thanks for posting the story, John-O. Yep, a Bowers original had been on my list for a long time, too. And an exotic nude, even better. Here is some additional info:

The gaffer's tape in the back did not surprise me, because the whole store is what is left of the great prop house "20th Century Props" when it went out of business. And the owner still seems to rent out to movies.

The paintings are not on canvas, but on particle board. Plus the composition of each seems to be balanced for the frame and size they are in. My guess is these are not mural pieces, but were painted as a set for someone's rumpus room, I estimate in the early 50s.

On 2013-08-06 04:40, bigbrotiki wrote:
The paintings are not on canvas, but on particle board. Plus the composition of each seems to be balanced for the frame and size they are in. My guess is these are not mural pieces, but were painted as a set for someone's rumpus room, I estimate in the early 50s.

By "particle board", I expect you're referring to Masonite hardboard. The paintings do seem balanced for the frame, but then, again... If cutting from a larger scene, one would carefully select the areas that would work well in a frame. There is a difference in scale, but looking back through the Bowers murals, I see several instances of large foreground figures, with smaller medium and background figures. Bora Boris noted different patinas, which seems to indicate against my theory. (But it may introduce a new puzzle. Doesn't a painting's patina develop as a result of age and exposure? Does it make sense that they were painted years apart?) I still think the lack of signatures is curious, and it's why I first thought they may have come from a mural.

I'm now imagining a wall or backdrop composed of a number of full and partial 4' x 8' sheets of Masonite. Then, later, the mural or backdrop was taken down. Perhaps the person in possession first tried to sell it, as a whole, but found no one with the room (or interest) to reassemble the whole thing. Or, it's also very possible there was significant damage done - it's very difficult to take down nailed-up Masonite boards, without cracking it or tearing out holes where the nails are. It's not like prying up a sturdy sheet of plywood. Maybe the sections (intact or damaged) were stored for some time in a garage. The most exposed board may have developed a different patina, at this point. Finally, the owner decided to salvage the parts that could be reduced to framed paintings, either to sell or keep. The parts that spanned two boards weren't usable. But these two paintings are some of - and maybe the only - sections that worked out for this purpose.

If the boards could be removed from the frame, a close examination of the edges would be interesting. If any paint is on the thin side edges, then they could NOT have been cut, after the painting. BUT, if the paint on the flat surface goes completely to all edges, but there is NO incidental paint on the sides, it seems to me to strongly indicate they were cut, AFTER painting.

Either way, I'm quite envious, and congratulate you both on these remarkable acquisitions!

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2013-08-06 14:50 ]

Awesome story, the paintings ended up in the right hands.

Now, how about another possible Frank Bowers mural sighting!

My matchbook collector friend Cheryl Crill sent me some photos of a matchbook from the Pago Pago that was located in Long Beach. The back of the matchbook contained this image of a mural.

Sure looks like the work of Frank Bowers. Will try to get a better image the next time I see Cheryl.

As we know, Frank Bowers did a lot of work in Long Beach, so I am betting this is his.

DC

Congrats on the paintings John-O and Sven. Just stunning. I adore Bowers style. Also, great recon work Boris. DC, nice eye on the Pago Pago...Arkiva Tropika has the postcard also.
On an interesting note...found some Bowers items on eBay that relate to the pottery connection. In the 40's he did work for Vernon Kilns, on special edition plates...hmmm.

On 2013-08-06 08:24, Limbo Lizard wrote:

...If the boards could be removed from the frame, a close examination of the edges would be interesting. If any paint is on the thin side edges, then they could NOT have been cut, after the painting. BUT, if the paint on the flat surface goes completely to all edges, but there is NO incidental paint on the sides, it seems to me to strongly indicate they were cut, AFTER painting...

OK, curiosity got the better of me. There is no incidential paint on the side edges. And based on the rather uneven edges, it does appear the board was crudely cut AFTER painting...

My Bowers signature got chopped off. :(

BTW, great finds DC & OGR !!

On 2013-08-06 08:24, Limbo Lizard wrote:

...Bora Boris noted different patinas, which seems to indicate against my theory. (But it may introduce a new puzzle. Doesn't a painting's patina develop as a result of age and exposure? Does it make sense that they were painted years apart?)...

BTW, the photograph that I took above was with my painting under bright natural light. I would say the actual patinia is much closer to that of the Bigbro's painting. Again though, Boris is the only one to have seen both paintings under the same light.

On 2013-08-08 11:54, JOHN-O wrote:

OK, curiosity got the better of me. There is no incidential paint on the side edges. And based on the rather uneven edges, it does appear the board was crudely cut AFTER painting...

My Bowers signature got chopped off. :(

AHA! I must assume this is the case with mine too, then. Sadly I cannot confirm this for some time, because I have an ocean between me and my Kona Lisa...

Excellent finds, and excellent story, John-O & Bigbro! I wonder what the chances might be(given the fact that it was a prop house's wares, and he did movie set work)of Bowers painting the pair for a movie set, circa 1950's?

Caltiki Brent

[ Edited by: congawa 2013-08-09 09:30 ]