Brothers in Arts Exhibition at Oceanside Museum of Art

Brothers in Arts: James Hubbell and Bert Hubbell Presented by the Ilan-Lael Foundation, curated by Brennan Hubbell April 11–September 6, 2026 Celebration: Saturday, May 2, 5:00-7:00pm Brothers in Arts: James Hubbell and Bert Hubbell explores the extraordinary parallel lives and creative philosophies of two brothers who forged singular artistic paths on opposite sides of the Pacific Ocean. Born in the 1930s and coming of age in the shadow of World War II and the atomic age, James and Bert Hubbell devoted their lives to art as a moral, spiritual, and balancing force in a world marked by profound instability. Their work defies easy categorization within dominant art movements of their time. Instead, both artists aligned themselves with outsider lineages and spiritual traditions that rejected linear narratives of progress. James found kinship with figures like William Blake, merging visual art, poetry, and philosophy into a holistic vision rooted in nature and culture as a bridge between heaven and earth. Grounded at his hand-built home and studios in Julian, James drew inspiration from San Diego’s landscape, its proximity to Mexico, and the Pacific Ocean. Bert, who settled in Kokubunji near Mt. Fuji for over fifty years, was profoundly shaped by Japanese culture, Shinto, Animism, and Native American art. Self-described as a “primitive artist,” he worked across mediums but most prolifically in ceramic sculpture. His fantastical creatures—reminiscent of yōkai—externalize inner fears and anxieties as a means of transformation and healing. A striking similarity lies in the brothers’ prolific production of art. James’ personal art holdings numbers over 20,000 pieces, with thousands more in the hands of private collectors. Bert, who never sold his art, left behind an estimated 28,000 individual ceramic figures as well as paintings, drawings and found object assemblages. What drove both men to continually create throughout their lives is another shared mystery. James visited Japan and his brother Bert once during the last 60 years but their written communication was consistent and frequent. The letters reveal their desire to understand one another and share ideas about art and humanity. They were important pillars of support for one another despite the great distance between them. In 2024 James’ encouraged his grandsons who were visiting Japan to meet their great-uncle, but they found no one living at his home. A Japanese friend helped the family track down Bert who was in hospital and gravely ill with pneumonia. The brothers’ final meeting was a video call made near the end of their lives. Neither could speak but they connected over the vast distance one last time with smiles and waves. They died in 2024 within a few weeks of each other. Presented by the Ilan-Lael Foundation and curated by Brennan Hubbell, this exhibition brings together James’ watercolors, sculpture, stained glass, and poetry alongside Bert’s ceramic figures, contextualized wit...