15 Oct 2012
Angels and Aristocrats: Early European art in New Zealand public collections, an exhibition of European paintings spanning five centuries from about 1340 to 1830, opens at Te Papa on 20 October 2012.
The exhibition is developed as a touring exhibition from Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and comprises a selection of works from Senior Curator Mary Kisler’s book of the same name, published in 2010.
Divided into themes of religious art, landscape art, narrative paintings and portraiture, Angels and Aristocrats is drawn from the collections of Auckland Art Gallery, Te Papa, Christchurch Art Gallery, Dunedin Public Art Gallery and Whanganui’s Sarjeant Gallery.
The exhibition begins with small medieval panels of saints alongside grand baroque works, such as Guido Reni’s St Sebastian, through to depictions of the Roman countryside and the rich landscapes of the Netherlands, exemplified in paintings by Claude Lorraine and Aelbert Cuyp.
The power of portraiture to keep the memory alive whether through formal portraits, or the careful rendering of a loved one’s features, is strongly represented by paintings from the 17th century to the early 19th century, inlcuding those of Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough.
The core touring exhibition features 52 paintings drawn from the collections of Auckland Art Gallery, Te Papa, Christchurch Art Gallery, Dunedin Public Art Gallery and Whanganui’s Sarjeant Gallery. While at Te Papa. Angels and Aristocrats will include 12 extra genre and classical landscape paintings, including George Dawe’s enormous Genevieve, painted in response to Coleridge’s famous romantic poem, Love.
Angels and Aristocrats: Early European art in New Zealand public collections is at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa from 20 October 2012 – 27 January 2013. www.tepapa.govt.nz/angels
For further information, images and interview requests please contact:
Tina Norris, Ph: 04 381 7233 or 021 225 7538, email: Media@tepapa.govt.nz
Angels and Aristocrats: Early European Art in New Zealand Public Collections is an Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki touring exhibition curated by Mary Kisler, Senior Curator, Mackelvie Collection, International Art.
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