More than 150 Gottfried Lindauer oil portraits of Māori and Pākehā will be shown at Auckland Art Gallery in the largest ever exhibition of his work.
The Māori Portraits: Gottfried Lindauer's New Zealand celebrates artist Gottfried Lindauer (1839 – 1926), is New Zealand's pioneering and most prolific portrait painter and a key cultural figure in the country's art history.
After a public search to locate further portraits by Lindauer, Auckland Art Gallery has discovered 36 artworks from around the world. At least six of these will be shown in the exhibition.
The exhibition will bring together an array of finely detailed portraits of rangatira Māori in both traditional and western dress, portraits of colonial settlers, and large paintings depicting Māori life and customs.
Independent curator Ngahiraka Mason has been working on the project for more than four years. The Gallery’s current Curator, Māori Art, Nigel Borell, is assisting Mason.
Mason says a strong feature of the show will be the Māori portraits as they represent a diverse portrayal of confident and powerfully poised Māori ancestors.
“The exhibition gives an incredible insight into iwi and hapū leadership of the period. Lindauer’s portraits of rangatira have tremendous mana with their striking likeness or resemblance of subjects,” she says.
Mason says many of the people depicted in the portraits have descendants living today.
The Māori Portraits: Gottfried Lindauer's New Zealand opens at the Auckland Art Gallery on Saturday 22 October and entry is free.