Commissioned & Contemporary: Landscapes from Kelliher Trust
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Northart kicks off its 2020 programme with an important exhibition described by its curator as a “snapshot of New Zealand landscape painting practice”. Kelliher Art Trust’s Christopher Johnstone says that at a time when national collections and regional art museums are eschewing this significant genre, the show demonstrates that serious landscape painting is not only alive and well in this country but remains popular with artists and the public alike.
The collection of the Kelliher Art Trust largely comprises prize-winning and award-winning paintings from the annual Kelliher Art Competition, held from 1956 to 1977. “Some of the best of these, including works by Paul Olds, the most internationally experienced painter of his generation, and the late Ian Scott, who became one of the country's most popular abstract painters, are displayed here,” says Johnstone.
They are accompanied by fine examples of contemporary landscape paintings purchased since 2007 and paintings commissioned annually by the Trust since 2015. The most recent of these, publicly displayed for the first time, is the view of the Lawrence River by the young Nelson painter Caroline Bellamy.
Christopher Johnstone will deliver a fascinating floor talk on the subject at the gallery at 7pm on Wednesday 12 February.