A famous painting of Mai is now at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. The show opened on September 15, 2026. It ends in March 2027. The Getty and the National Portrait Gallery bought the painting together in 2023 for $61 million.
Mai came to England in 1774. He was the first person from the Pacific Islands to visit Britain. He joined Captain James Cook’s second trip. Joshua Reynolds painted him in 1776. The painting is almost eight feet tall.
Mai did not come from a royal family. But Joseph Banks presented him as a nobleman. Reynolds also painted Mai like a powerful leader. The picture gave him the importance usually given to rich and powerful people.
