Most fantastic Tiki Exhibition in Europe!
by fabulous:
About
Man has always fantasized about the South Seas, the carefree Polynesian, the myth of the vahine offering herself to the visitor or, quite simply, about the sweet melody of the islands and their ideal Oceanic climate…
A Texan by the name of Ernest Beaumont Gantt understood this and in 1934 opened a small establishment in Hollywood called Don the Beachcomber, inventing the concept of the Tiki bar. At the time, in the midst of a recession, Americans were in dire need of an escape. What better way than to immerse the thirsty customer in a world of paradise: walls covered in woven bamboo, pagan idols (the famous Tiki, representing gods or ancestors in Polynesian culture), lamps dimmed in fishbowls, fake tropical showers, enchanting music, paintings of naked Tahitian women… But above all, Don offered delicious cocktails on the menu, with rum as the main ingredient.
Soon, Polynesian-themed bars and restaurants were springing up all over the world, each boasting an impressive cocktail menu, served in ceramic mugs in the shape of Tiki gods, pineapples, coconuts, wahines, or the famous Hawaiian community ceremonial bowls, and incredible decor… Every major hotel chain also had its own Tiki bar: Hilton and Trader Vic’s, Sheraton and Stephen Crane’s Kon Tiki. There’s also the mythical Kahiki in Columbus, and the Mai-Kai in Florida, which still exists and offers Polynesian dance shows every evening…
The 50’s and 60’s saw the heyday of Tiki bars, and of Polynesian pop culture in general… Artists were employed in large numbers to decorate these bars with tiki sculptures, logos and mugs, and to illustrate the superb cocktail menus…
Then, as the years went by, with the exception of President Nixon, who still enjoyed drinking Mai Tai at Trader Vic’s in Washington while the Vietnam War was raging, this culture became totally outdated. It was a time of hippies and marijuana. Elvis had become fat and old-fashioned. In short, during the 70’s and 80’s, virtually all Tiki bars closed their doors to make way for discotheques.
Fortunately, by the 90s, a number of collectors and vintage and retro fans had developed a passion for this all-too-quickly forgotten pop culture. And new artists influenced by this era quickly emerged.
Sculptors reinvented the tiki, often modernizing it and leaving behind the authenticity of Polynesian idols. Painters, graphic artists and illustrators are using their own style to invent tiki art, each in their own way, to our great delight. Just as new mixologists are creating innovative cocktails, talented ceramists are creating new mugs for the many collectors and new tiki bars around the world…
