Painting Mauao: Painted Images of Mt Maunganui

Te Papa Cemetery in the 1860s, by an unknown soldier (Collection of the Tauranga City Library)

Mauao/Mount Maunganui has been portrayed in paint since the earliest European arrived.  Its unique form continues to be a source of inspiration for today's artists.   Members of the Society were treated to an entertaining and informative tour of the Tauranga Art Gallery's exhibition Painting Mauao: Painted images of Mount Maunganui since the mid-19th century by gallery director Penelope Jackson on Sunday 9th June.  Thank you, Penny.

The colonial paintings have come from the Auckland Art Gallery and the City Library's collection.  The paintings include one by John Kinder who had married Celia Brown, daughter of Archdeacon Brown, at the Elms Te Papa Mission Station. Horatio Robley, who painted a number of scenes in Tauranga in the 1860s, has a painting of The Surrender of the Tauranga Natives at Te Papa in 1865.  He took part in the Battle of Gate Pa and made a sketch of the Maori defences.

Bright Morning by Betty Wishart (Collection of the Tauranga City Council)

Most of the paintings in the exhibition are by artists who have lived in Tauranga.  Those by Nigel Brown, Edward Bullmore and Dame Robin White are from the gallery's collecting area. Three paintings by John McLean called Childhood Memories were specially commissioned by the gallery for this exhibition.  They feature a well known local character, Michael Hodgkins.

This is a first class exhibition and well worth a visit.  It will run until 25th August.  On Thursday 4 July at 5 pm the Gallery Director Penelope Jackson will give an Art After Dark talk about the paintings.  Bookings are essential.