Welcome to the new Museum of the Great Apes
FEATURING THE PORTRAITS OF THE GREAT APES COLLECTION BY ROBERT COOPER
A museum dedicated to the Evolution of the Image of the Great Apes.
A museum dedicated to the Evolution of the Image of the Great Apes.
This exhibition is dedicated to those who I have painted and have yet to paint; to those individual apes whose faces I will never know; to those who care daily for our captive friends in zoos and sanctuaries around the world; to those who already have and to those who will in the future dedicate their own lives to helping the Great Apes; and to those who have helped me, taught me and supported me on my incredible journey;
I say thank you.
I say thank you.
Throughout history, Art has always reflected what is important to that society. Tragically, the Great Apes are facing extinction in the wild due to the loss of habitat and the commercial slaughter and selling of their meat for human consumption. Now, more than ever, is the time to show history and the world that the Great Apes are important to us as a society and they must be saved.
It is a sorry fact that the Great Apes have long been exploited by the entertainment, advertising and greeting card industries, The Arts, however, whether it is visual or performing, painting or sculpture, dance, theatre or film, have the potential to show the Great Apes in a new light. We hope this Museum is a new beginning, a new way of looking at the Great Apes. We hope your visit to the Museum of the Great Apes will inspire, educate and if you have visited us before, reaffirm your love and respect for these amazing beings.
It is a sorry fact that the Great Apes have long been exploited by the entertainment, advertising and greeting card industries, The Arts, however, whether it is visual or performing, painting or sculpture, dance, theatre or film, have the potential to show the Great Apes in a new light. We hope this Museum is a new beginning, a new way of looking at the Great Apes. We hope your visit to the Museum of the Great Apes will inspire, educate and if you have visited us before, reaffirm your love and respect for these amazing beings.
THE MISSING LINK
“I’m an intelligent being. What are you going to do about it?” These were the words that flashed into my mind as I stared into his eyes. It was like being hit with a thunder bolt. He was communicating to me, not through words, but through his eyes. He was capable of language. Not verbal language like we humans have become dependent upon but purely visual. A language that we humans have long forgotten or take for granted.
“I’m going to paint your portrait,” I replied without uttering a single word.
Cobby understood. Cobby is a chimpanzee.
That was in July 2001 and the place was the San Francisco Zoo. Thus began my wondrous journey.
Scientists have long looked for the missing link in the fossil record, the hard evidence that would link us with our ancestors. I have come to realize that the missing link is not among the fragments of fossilized bones buried in Africa. The missing link I found is soft tissue that would never survive the millenniums. The missing link I found were the eyes.
The Great Apes (chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutan and bonobos) don’t have verbal languages like we humans do. Instead, they have a highly tuned visual languages.
This exhibit is about visuals. It is about communication. It is about how we see and perceive our closest relatives in the animal kingdom --- the Great Apes. While the words are important it is the visual message that each of these individual portraits communicates is really what this is about. I am giving you the rare opportunity to look into the eyes of intelligent beings that in all the universe are so like Man’s.
Most of my subjects are in zoos. Some people who dislike zoos tell me that all the individuals in the paintings look sad. I don’t agree. In photographing my subjects, I have seen a wide range of expressions and emotions. Happy. Sad. Bored. Excited. The same type of expressions one might expect to see at a bus depot or airline terminal.
I don’t care if we are related to the Great Apes or not. They could be from Mars for all I care (they might get a little more respect if they were). They are intelligent beings very much like us. What I do know is that how we treat the great apes is a measure of our own humanity.
They are facing extinction because of one simple reason --- human beings.
I will say it again, throughout history, what is important to a society is reflected in its art. I think the time has come in history to change how apes are portrayed in our art and culture.
So, I invite everyone as you explore the halls of the museum and check out the various exhibits to look into eyes of these all-to-human beings and allow them to speak to you. And as you look at these remarkable faces please remember Cobby’s first statement to me, “I’m an intelligent being. What are you going to do about it?”
Robert Cooper
June 2015
“I’m an intelligent being. What are you going to do about it?” These were the words that flashed into my mind as I stared into his eyes. It was like being hit with a thunder bolt. He was communicating to me, not through words, but through his eyes. He was capable of language. Not verbal language like we humans have become dependent upon but purely visual. A language that we humans have long forgotten or take for granted.
“I’m going to paint your portrait,” I replied without uttering a single word.
Cobby understood. Cobby is a chimpanzee.
That was in July 2001 and the place was the San Francisco Zoo. Thus began my wondrous journey.
Scientists have long looked for the missing link in the fossil record, the hard evidence that would link us with our ancestors. I have come to realize that the missing link is not among the fragments of fossilized bones buried in Africa. The missing link I found is soft tissue that would never survive the millenniums. The missing link I found were the eyes.
The Great Apes (chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutan and bonobos) don’t have verbal languages like we humans do. Instead, they have a highly tuned visual languages.
This exhibit is about visuals. It is about communication. It is about how we see and perceive our closest relatives in the animal kingdom --- the Great Apes. While the words are important it is the visual message that each of these individual portraits communicates is really what this is about. I am giving you the rare opportunity to look into the eyes of intelligent beings that in all the universe are so like Man’s.
Most of my subjects are in zoos. Some people who dislike zoos tell me that all the individuals in the paintings look sad. I don’t agree. In photographing my subjects, I have seen a wide range of expressions and emotions. Happy. Sad. Bored. Excited. The same type of expressions one might expect to see at a bus depot or airline terminal.
I don’t care if we are related to the Great Apes or not. They could be from Mars for all I care (they might get a little more respect if they were). They are intelligent beings very much like us. What I do know is that how we treat the great apes is a measure of our own humanity.
They are facing extinction because of one simple reason --- human beings.
I will say it again, throughout history, what is important to a society is reflected in its art. I think the time has come in history to change how apes are portrayed in our art and culture.
So, I invite everyone as you explore the halls of the museum and check out the various exhibits to look into eyes of these all-to-human beings and allow them to speak to you. And as you look at these remarkable faces please remember Cobby’s first statement to me, “I’m an intelligent being. What are you going to do about it?”
Robert Cooper
June 2015
