Adam Art Gallery opens this weekend with Behind Closed Doors

Adam Art Gallery opens this weekend with Behind Closed Doors

From June to December the Adam Art Gallery presents, Behind Closed Doors: New Zealand Art from Private Collections in Wellington, a major exhibition that sets out to canvass selective 'moments' in a history of New Zealand art from 1946 to the present, drawn exclusively from private collections in Wellington.

This revealing exhibition provides a rare opportunity to see works that complement and extend the holdings of New Zealand's public and corporate collections. The paintings, sculptures, and works on paper are simultaneously significant works by major figures and tributes to the often close relationships that accrue between artists and their patrons.

Many of the selected works are physically and psychologically ambitious, supporting the claim that it is possible to stage a 'museum-quality' show drawn exclusively from private sources. There are also works that are modest and delicate, testament to the intimate and personal relationships developed by living with art.

The exhibition includes paintings by renowned artists Toss Wollaston and Colin McCahon, seldom-seen works by Michael Smither and Rita Angus, along with provocative multimedia art works by Peter Robinson and Ronnie van Hout.

Behind Closed Doors has also become a portrait of Wellington city. Working like a sleuth, curator of the exhibition and Gallery Director, Christina Barton has uncovered a surprising number of committed art lovers in the city, whose collecting endeavours discreetly nourish Wellington's cultural life.

The exhibition will be complemented by a book documenting a selection of the works as they appear at home, with photographs by leading New Zealand photographer Neil Pardington and texts by writer Lara Strongman. This is designed to offer an intimate alternative to the 'institutional' framing of works at the Adam Art Gallery. This publication will be launched in August.

Please note that Behind Closed Doors opens to the public Saturday 4 June 2011, 11am.

Behind Closed Doors: New Zealand Art from Private Collections in Wellington is supported by Creative New Zealand.

--- Adam Art Gallery Victoria University of Wellington Gate 3, Kelburn Parade PO Box 600 Wellington 6140 New Zealand ph +64 4 4635229 fax +64 4 4635024 www.adamartgallery.org.nz

We are open Tuesday to Sunday 11am-5pm (closed only on Monday) FREE ENTRY

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