Americans can now see a famous portrait of the Pacific Islander who captivated 18th-century England for the first time
Joshua Reynolds’ 1776 ‘Portrait of Omai’ portrays a commoner from Tahiti as a nobleman, reflecting European fantasies and assumptions about Pacific cultures.
In 1774, a young man named Mai, who hailed from the Pacific Island of Raiatea, embarked on an unprecedented journey to Britain. As the first Pacific Islander to set foot in England, Mai had joined Captain James Cook's second expedition, which was stationed in the Society Islands - a cluster comprising Tahiti and Raiatea, now part of French Polynesia.
Two years after his arrival in England, the renowned painter, Joshua Reynolds, brought Mai's portrait to life, creating a near 8-foot tall masterpiece. The painting was purchased jointly by the Getty Center and the National Portrait Gallery in 2023 for US$61 million, and has been on display at the Getty since September 15, 2026, until March 2027.
At the time, it was quite extraordinary for 18th-century Britons to witness such a portrait. Reynolds skillfully transformed Mai into a monumental figure of European portraiture, bestowing upon him the grandeur and authority typically afforded to the elite. The painting allowed the British public to project their perceptions about people from distant lands, how they should be depicted, and what could be gleaned from them.
Beginning in the late 1750s, English translations of French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau's works had helped popularize the notion in England that "savages" deserved closer examination. Rousseau argued that societies thrived before the advent of agriculture and metal production corrupted them. He believed "savages" had few desires and could easily satisfy them, unlike Europeans, who made themselves miserable in pursuit of unnecessary luxuries.
Rousseau lamented that accounts of these societies were primarily provided by merchants, sailors, soldiers, and missionaries. He advocated for learned gentlemen to undertake a serious voyage around the world to "study men and manners."
Joseph Banks, a fabulously wealthy naturalist and botanist, shared Rousseau's fascination with indigenous societies and was eager to spend a fortune to study them. Banks joined Cook's first voyage, which spanned from 1768 to 1771, and later secured a place for Mai on Cook's second expedition, which took place between 1772 and 1775.
When Mai arrived in England, he was met with a fad for Pacific cultures that had risen to new heights in 1773. The publication of a blockbuster compilation of accounts of Pacific expeditions, which included Cook's first voyage, portrayed Tahiti as a tropical paradise free from sexual shame and labor drudgery. This popularized European fantasies of Tahiti as a "New Cythera," or Aphrodite's island.
Banks, recognizing an opportunity, became one of Mai's key handlers, introducing him to luminaries at parties, dinners, and theater performances. Despite Banks knowing Mai was a commoner, he promoted the idea of him as a noble, fitting for a king.
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