Sitting Room: A Portrait Show / 4 - 28 March 2008

Portraiture in New Zealand has formed an important part of our art history. Studies within this genre have included records of public figures as well as more focused studies on explorations into human nature. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries many of our most important portraits were of Maori and during the first half of the twentieth century public interest in portraiture made it a popular choice for artists.

John Leech Gallery is pleased to present a captivating group survey show that examines the diversity of the portrait genre in New Zealand over the last two centuries. Sitting Room features portraits executed in a variety of materials including wall sculpture by Sofia Tekela-Smith, sketches by Charles Goldie and Tony Fomison, paintings by Raymond McIntyre, Pat Hanly, Shane Cotton, Richard McWhannell and Martin Ball and a selection of rare nineteenth century Carte de Visites. The exhibition also presents the artist as subject with a sculpture of Colin McCahon and self-portraits by John Pule, Dick Frizzell and Jeffrey Harris.

Paintings included in this exhibition depict both who the sitter was and what they looked like, informing the viewer about the New Zealand artists involved and the people that intrigued them.