Untitled
Paratene Matchitt, Artist
See full detailsObject Detail
About the Work
Although
this
is
an
online
selection
and
most
participants
select
their
works
remotely,
in
preparing
this
selection
during
my
first
week
working
at
the
Sarjeant,
I’ve
had
the
advantage
of
being
able
to
physically
sight
some
of
the
works.
Although
my
initial
shortlisting
was
done
entirely
online
in
the
week
before
starting
in
Whanganui.
In
walking
through
the
collection
storage
areas,
it’s
hard
to
miss
this
striking
sculpture
by
Paratene
Matchitt,
one
of
the
first
generation
of
Māori
artists
to
adopt
a
western
modernist
approach
to
art
making.
He
is
probably
best
known
for
the
large
sculptural
bridge
that
connects
Wellington’s
civic
precinct
to
the
waterfront.
Matchitt
was
part
of
the
Ngā
Puna
Waihanga
group
of
Māori
artists
and
writers,
who
formed
in
1973
and
often
exhibited
at
the
Sarjeant
in
the
1980s,
resulting
in
works
entering
the
Sarjeant
collection.
Other
artists
in
the
original
1973
group
include
Hone
Tuwhare,
Rangimarie
Hetet,
Ralph
Hotere,
Selwyn
Muru,
Kura
Rewiri,
Witi
Ihimaera,
Haare
Williams
and
Hirini
Melbourne.
Although there are a number of early depictions of Māori in the Sarjeant collection, this is one of the first acquisitions of a work by a Māori artist and was purchased during Gordon H. Brown’s tenure as director. Earlier purchases include works by Cliff Whiting, and many were made in subsequent years, especially when Rangihiroa Panoho was the Sarjeant Gallery’s Curator from 1988-91 – Aotearoa’s first Māori curator of art. Incidentally, Panoho’s MA thesis focused on Matchitt.
- Andrew Clifford, for the My Choice Exhibition Series, April 2023
Although there are a number of early depictions of Māori in the Sarjeant collection, this is one of the first acquisitions of a work by a Māori artist and was purchased during Gordon H. Brown’s tenure as director. Earlier purchases include works by Cliff Whiting, and many were made in subsequent years, especially when Rangihiroa Panoho was the Sarjeant Gallery’s Curator from 1988-91 – Aotearoa’s first Māori curator of art. Incidentally, Panoho’s MA thesis focused on Matchitt.
- Andrew Clifford, for the My Choice Exhibition Series, April 2023
Measurements
1500 x 730 x 510mm
Media
painted wood construction
Description
Wooden sculpture painted in white, black and red. The top is a sphere with red centre and black arch across the top making the sculpture appear like a figure when viewed from the front.
Credit Line
Collection of the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui. Purchased with the assistance of Wanganui City Council and Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council Grant, 1976
Collection Type
Permanent collection
Acquisition Date
1976