Rita Angus: Life & Vision at Auckland Art Gallery

MEDIA RELEASE – 14 July 2009

Auckland Art Gallery is proud to present Rita Angus: Life & Vision from 1 August to 1 November.

Rita Angus A Goddess of Mercy 1945–47, oil on canvas
Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu
Reproduced courtesy of the Rita Angus Estate

This landmark exhibition is the largest ever retrospective of the work of one of New Zealand’s best-loved artists.

Auckland is the final venue for Te Papa’s blockbuster show, already seen by over 250,000 people in Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch.

Featuring iconic works including Cass, voted New Zealand’s greatest painting in a 2006 television poll, this free exhibition introduces a new generation of New Zealanders to one of our pioneer modern painters.

It reminds us all of her extraordinary artistic achievement, as a maker of images that have helped create and define our national identity.

The exhibition is co-curated by Te Papa’s William McAloon and Jill Trevelyan, author of the biography Rita Angus: An Artist’s Life, a finalist in this year’s Montana Book Awards. (The winner will be announced on 27 July.)

Rita Angus: Life & Vision features new insights into Angus’s work, presenting sketchbooks and studies that reveal the full scope of her practice from the 1920s to the 1960s.

Drawing out the stories behind the paintings, the show reveals Angus’s commitment to pacifism, her strong feminist views, and her spiritual beliefs.

Also evident are Angus’s love of nature and her affinity for the New Zealand landscape, as well as her extraordinary technique.

The exhibition is accompanied by a major catalogue. This beautifully illustrated 230-page book features many works that have never been reproduced in colour before. Produced by Te Papa Press, it includes new and revealing essays by a range of writers including Ron Brownson, Sarah Hillary, Gregory O’Brien and Peter Simpson.

Rita Angus: Life & Vision includes free talks and events every Sunday at 1pm.

Auckland Art Gallery’s shop has a wide range of Rita Angus merchandise, including T-shirts, posters, bags, badges, cards and Lisa Hoskin jewellery.

Private tours of the exhibition are exclusively available to those hiring the gallery’s Art Lounge. One of the city’s premier venues for hire, Art Lounge is equipped with audiovisual equipment and can be modified to suit any occasion from evening functions and wedding receptions to daytime workshops and product launches.

Rita Angus: Life and Vision is supported by principal funding sponsor Pelorus Trust and major sponsor Singapore Airlines.

Rita Angus: Life & Vision
1 August to 1 November
Auckland Art Gallery
Corner of Wellesley and Lorne Sts
Free entry

www.aucklandartgallery.com
www.tepapa.govt.nz/ritaangus

Free Talks Every Sunday at 1pm
Sun 2 Aug 1pm Curator’s tour. Te Papa’s William McAloon gives a tour of the show.
Sun 9 Aug 1pm Photographer’s talk. Marti Friedlander on photographing the reclusive artist.
Sun 16 Aug 1pm Biographer’s talk. Jill Trevelyan on her 2008 biography of Rita Angus.
Sun 23 Aug 1pm Portrait of Betty Curnow. Wystan Curnow on Angus’s iconic portrait of his mother.
Sun 30 Aug 1pm Self portraits. Linda Tyler on Angus’s stylistic investigations and search for identity.
Sun 6 Sept 1pm Curator’s talk. Auckland Art Gallery’s Ron Brownson on Angus’s landscapes.
Sun 13 Sept 1pm Film screening. Gaylene Preston presents her 2007 film Lovely Rita. 70 mins
Thurs 24 Sept 5 - 8pm Fashion in Motion. AUT fashion students present their response to Angus.
Sun 27 Sept 1pm Conservator’s talk. Sarah Hillary on Angus’s oil painting techniques.
Sun 4 Oct 1pm Rita & Fashion. AUT’s Gabriella Trussardi on the depiction of garments in Angus’s work.
Sun 11 Oct 1pm Author’s talk. Peter Simpson on the role of Lawrence Baigent and Leo Bensemann.
Sun 18 Oct 1pm Rita & Pacifism. Peter Shaw on Angus’s deep commitment to conscientious objection.
Sun 25 Oct 1pm Remembering Rita. Jacqueline Fahey and Christine Cole Catley.
Sun 1 Nov 1pm Biographer’s talk. Vita Cochrane on the portraits of Rita Angus.

ENDS

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