Auckland Art Gallery
The Auckland Art Gallery (Maori: Toi o Tamaki ) is the largest art gallery in New Zealand with a collection of over 15,000 works. It is located in the city center of Auckland, at the intersection of Wellesley and Kitchener Street, at the edge of Albert Park.
History
In 1888 the building was established as a combined art gallery and public library with the help of donations and funding of the former governor of New Zealand, Sir George Grey. Today the building is used exclusively as an art gallery. In the Auckland Art Gallery, there is a museum shop, café, there are guided tours available and the building can be rented for events. Entrance is usually free, with occasional exceptions, subject to certain exhibitions.
The building was originally designed by Melbourne architect John Harry Grainger and Charles D' Ebro and built of brick and plaster. It is a mixture of different styles, because at that time there was no dominant architectural style in New Zealand. However, it was associated with the French Chateau style. Since its construction in 1887 the building has undergone a series of structural changes. Due to the fast-growing collections of the Gallery had to be created additional exhibition space. Due to its proximity to the University of Auckland Auckland is frequented Art Gallery ( Toi o Tamaki ) by many students of art and architecture for study purposes.
In 1995, the gallery has been updated. On the opposite side of the street since there is another part of the gallery, the " New Gallery ". Here contemporary works will be shown. , Often works by New Zealand artists, the landscape is an important issue. 2007, a large new building and a renovation in cooperation FJMT ( Sydney ) companies and Archived Media ( Auckland ) was performed. The exhibition space in the gallery was to almost fifty percent. < / ref > Architects < / ref >
Collection
The Auckland Art Gallery houses a collection of over 15,000 works from different eras. Many of New Zealand and European artists are exhibited, and many works of art of the wider Pacific region are also shown. Among them are works of art that come from New Zealand and British artists such as Colin McCahon, Marti Friedlander and Frances Hodgkins and have been donated in some cases, the gallery by the artists themselves.
Paintings by Charles Goldie and Gottfried Lindauer, a German artist of the 19th century, also belong to the collection. The images of artists who belong to the early European settlers, distinguished mainly by the representation of Maori and early European settlement. Lindauer's painting collection is called " The Partridge Collection" and in 1915 was donated.
In 2009, the New York art collectors Josie and Julian Robertson donated a collection of 15 works of art by famous European artists like Dali, Picasso and Matisse. One of the most striking exhibits of the gallery since its renovation from 2008 to 2011 is the "Flower Chandelier " by Choi Jeong Hwa. The large-scale installation hangs from the ceiling in the main entrance of the gallery and is dominated by flowers that open and close, which gives an impression of flowers in full bloom.
In recent years, the Auckland Art Gallery has shown a series of traveling exhibitions, such as " Degas to Dali ", " Henry Fuseli: Dark Chambers of the Mind" and " Who Shot Rock and Roll".