This year Toi Tauranga with the generous support from the Claudia Jarman fund bring Lizzie Bisley, Curator of Modern Art at Te Papa Tongarewa to Tauranga Moana. Lizzie studied at Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka and went on to gain a Master’s in the history of design at the Royal College of Art, London. Later working as a curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Her research is focussed on histories of modernity, and she is interested in the close relationships between art, design, and architecture in the twentieth century.
Lizzie was the editor of Rita Angus: New Zealand Modernist |He Ringatoi Hou o Aotearoa. The book and catalogue of Angus’s work brings together writings from artists friends, contemporaries, painted subjects, and experts in the field of art history and Modernism. Lizzie writes that “Angus saw her paintings as a form of praise, honouring the beauty and mystery she perceived in the world around her, but she also longed to communicate a message of peace which would reach far beyond her own time.”
Te Papa’s touring exhibition Rita Angus: New Zealand Modernist | He Ringatoi Hou o Aotearoa brings together 20 works by one of New Zealand’s most iconic 20th-century artists, Rita Angus (1908–1970). From the 1930s onwards Rita Angus boldly forged a life as an artist. Her ground-breaking works express her feminism and pacifism, and her identity as a 20th century woman painter. In this exhibition, explore 20 works from one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most influential artists spanning 40 years. The exhibition includes many of Angus’s most important works, including Rutu (1951), Cleopatra (1938), and Central Otago (1953-56/1969).
Claudia Jarman (1908-1986) was an art educator with great passion inspiring two generations of teenagers in Tauranga Moana to practice and appreciate art. Claudia taught art Tauranga District Highschool and Tauranga Girls Collage. She was also involved in the Tauranga repertory Society, a founding member of the Tauranga Chamber music society and the Tauranga Art Society. Patricia Brooks a past student of Claudia’s established the fund in memory of the significant contribution Claudia made to the lives of her students and the Arts in Tauranga. The Claudia Jarmon lecture Memorial lecture continues her legacy of contribution and supports the artistic ecology of the region.
When: 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm, Saturday 13th of May
Where: Tauranga Art Gallery Toi Tauranga Atrium
Refreshments and afternoon tea provided after the lecture.
