Curators Talk - The Legacies behind the Aigantighe Art Galle

The Aigantighe Art Gallery opened in 1956 when what had been the private garden and the residence of the Grant family became the “Aigantighe Art Gallery and Gardens”. However, the dream of a public art gallery for Timaru and wider south Canterbury began long before that. The history of the Aigantighe Art Gallery and its permanent collection is a story that is paved with philanthropic individuals and groups who were passionate about the power of art and the importance of a public art gallery to a growing city. This lecture will explore the story behind the Aigantighe Art Gallery, and will reveal some highlights from its permanent collection.

Petrena Fishburn has her Masters in Art History from the University of Canterbury, she has worked cataloguing the collection of Philip Trusttum and Austen Deans, and is the Collection Curator at the Aigantighe Art Gallery.