Manoogians Share Artwork from Private Collection at Grand Hotel

This story first appeared in the June 30, 2023 Mackinac Island Town Crier print edition

Richard and Jane Manoogian, prominent Mackinac Island residents and art collectors, unveiled their most recent exhibit in Grand Hotel’s Art Gallery during a reception Monday, June 19, showcasing American art in a collection titled “A Selection of Paintings from the Manoogian Collection.” Mr. and Mrs. Manoogian have been collecting American art since the 1970s, finding their passion in 19th-century works of landscapes, genre pictures, trompe l’oeil, still life, and impressionist views. Every year, they share their diverse collection of American art in exhibits at Grand Hotel and all over the country.

“When you think of the history of Mackinac Island over the last 100 years, paintings can take people back to those early years,” Mr. Manoogian said. “It was a different world back then, so we like to tie into history in some way.”

As the exhibit opened, Mrs. Manoogian remarked how everyone takes in art exhibits differently. You could ask each person in the room, where dozens of visitors and art enthusiasts had gathered, and every person would have a different favorite, each taking away something unique from the pieces.

“It’s fun to come in and just watch what people stop [at] and what attracts them,” Mr. Manoogian agreed.

They wanted to select a wide variety of art, something that even families and kids could enjoy. Mr. Manoogian enjoys all the art, unable to pick a favorite in this specific exhibition, but he especially liked the paintings with animals, of which there are several in this year’s gallery exhibit. Some include Jessie Arms Botke’s “White Peacocks and Blue Delphinium,” Wright Barker’s “St. Hubert’s Prince, Golden Retriever,” and two unique portraits entitled “Pair of Portraits: Lady with Head of Tiger Cat, Gentleman with Head of Cairn Terrier” by Thomas Sully.

Other selections include landscapes and flora, such as Abbott Fuller Graves’ “Hunnewell Gardens” and Stephen J. Renard’s “Britannia and Vigilant in the Solent off Cowes.” One of the larger paintings featured on the exhibit’s invitations and informational pamphlet, is “Offie Daughter A. Laidlay, Esq” by James Jebusa Shannon.

Mr. Manoogian talks about how his parents were immigrants and how that instilled in him a special sense of appreciation of what this country did for his family.

“We always say, what can we do in return?” he said. “One of the things I’ve tried to do, besides running companies, is build an art collection and then share it with people around the country.”

The collection was once comprised of hundreds of pieces, Mr. Manoogian said, but now is probably only a fraction of that because of how many paintings are on loan or permanently in museums across the country. While most of the paintings in the Manoogian’s collection are 19th century, the entire collection spans from the early 19th century to the early 20th century. The key, Mr. Manoogian said, is having someone who knows enough about the artists to tell him which pieces of art are really part of an artist’s better works. He tries to keep the collection among the top of the class of the selected artists. He learned the hard way as a businessman that you must know a lot to be a major collector; so, he works with professional advisers.

Above all, Mr. Manoogian stressed the variety and uniqueness of the paintings in the exhibit, and how much he loves sharing art with others.

“The Grand is a pretty special place,” he said. “Anything we can do to make this unique for the people who come to the Island, it’s just an added feature of the many things that are on Mackinac that you can’t get in other places.”

Mr. and Mrs. Manoogian are happy to share a sampling of their collection with friends and tourists.

“You can see a lot of art [visitors] might not see anywhere else. But also, a lot of our friends who are here, we share these with them, too,” Mr. Manoogian said.