Fine-art museums are almost an afterthought in a place like Hawaii blessed as it is with extravagant natural beauty. But there is a hotel on the Big Island where museum-quality art can be found. The Mauna Kea Resort, on the Kohala Coast, is home to a 1,600-piece collection of art objects from Asia and the Pacific that were acquired in the ‘60s under the direction of Laurance S. Rockefeller.
The collection graces the walls and lush tropical grounds of the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and showcases a pink granite Buddha, sculpted in seventh-century India.
This five-foot, three-inch figure, imposing yet serene, is positioned with his heart above the level of a man's eye, in accordance with Buddhist tradition.
Nearly as prized is a 700-year-old sculpture of the head of Buddha that was unearthed by workmen building a dam in northern Thailand. Guests are free to view the works of art individually or join a guided art tour available weekly from 10:30 a.m. to noon free of charge. The collection also can be viewed in a book entitled "The Art of Mauna Kea," by Big Island author and art historian Dr. Don Aanavi.
The Big Island's newest entry to the art scene is the Isaacs Art Center at the Hawaii Preparatory Academy in Waimea. The center is housed in a former school complex and has been placed on the State Register of Historic Places.
In addition to its permanent collection, the center mounts traveling exhibits. The Isaacs Art Center features the works of artists like Jean and Martin Charlot, Marian Roden and Huc Luquiens.
