Art exhibit of original naval paintings to visit Santa Barbara Maritime Museum

SANTA BARBARA—An exhibit of 53 paintings chronicling the accomplishments of the US Navy will be on display at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum for the next six months. The exhibit, Arthur Beaumont: Art of the Sea, features a collection of paintings by Arthur Beaumont, who served as the Navy’s “Artist of the Fleet” and documented various naval events. The exhibit was set to debut Dec. 3 but as of the time this paper went to press, the museum remained closed due to Covid-19 restrictions. The exhibit will be on display through May 30, 2021. In addition to Beaumont’s paintings, the show will be accompanied by a book of his life and art, also entitled Arthur Beaumont: Art of the Sea, written by Beaumont’s son Geoffrey Campbell Beaumont and published by The Irvine Museum. On January 21, 2021, the author will offer a presentation about the exhibit and his father’s life as part of SBMM’s distinguished lecture series. Beaumont received a commission as a lieutenant in the Navy and became the “Artist of the Fleet” in 1933. His earliest paintings showed naval vessels in various settings and states of preparedness, but following Pearl Harbor, his work supported the US war effort and reflected life or death...