Franco Salmoiraghi: Photographs of Hawai‘i from the 70s, 80s, and 90s

One of Hawaiʻi’s most respected photographers, Franco Salmoiraghi’s work is reflective of his affection for Hawaiʻi and of his powerful connection to the islands and its people. Born in Illinois, he moved to Honolulu in 1968 for a teaching position at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. His photographs that span the ensuing decades celebrate the importance of Hawaiʻi as a place of sublime beauty and cultural significance.   

Franco Salmoiraghi: Photographs of Hawai‘i from the 70s, 80s, and 90s is drawn primarily from HoMA’s collection, and includes key loans highlighting various subjects the artist explored during a period of renewed interest in traditional Hawaiian practices, language, and devotion to the ‘āina (land). The exhibition features works in five subject areas—intimate portraits, awe-inspiring island landscapes, sensitive nude studies, detailed patterns in nature, and expressions of the energy and activism of the second Hawaiian Cultural Renaissance—which convey the artist’s sustained interest in documenting the rich diversity of Hawaiʻi’s people and places.  

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Franco Salmoiraghi (American, b. 1942). Apiʻi Taro, Waipiʻo Valley, 1974. Gelatin silver print. Gift of The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, 2011, and purchased with funds given by Tseng Yuho Ecke (TCM.1996.8)