Rita Angus: Life and Vision

Rita Angus: Life and Vision documents the art and life of one of New Zealand’s best-loved artists.

Rita Angus is one of New Zealand’s most significant artists. Over four decades she painted clear hard-edged landscapes, and strong portraits that captured the distinctive personality of her subjects. She was a pioneer of modern painting in New Zealand and influenced many other well-known local artists.

Rita Angus: Life & Vision brings together 200 of her works. Some are paintings familiar to many New Zealanders – including Cass, Fay and Jane Birkinshaw, and Boats, Island Bay. There are also sketchbooks, studies for paintings, and unfinished works that give a unique insight into this artist’s approach to her work.

This exhibition is not only about the work, but also the life of a disciplined and dedicated artist. It explores the themes central to Angus’s vision – identity, spirituality, and nature – and offers insights into the society from which that vision emerged.

Image credit: Self-portrait, 1936–37, by Rita Angus, oil paint on canvas, Dunedin Public Art Gallery