AUCKLAND, HOME OF GAUGUIN, MATISSE AND PICASSO
The Robertson’s gift of creativity
for many Kiwis, the only way to experience influential European artists like Picasso and Matisse (in the flesh) was to travel overseas. But thanks to an extraordinarily generous gift, significant pieces of European art are now on display at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki for everyone to enjoy.
New York art collectors and philanthropists Julian and Josie Robertson fell in love with New Zealand when they first visited several decades ago and wanted to share their love of the arts - in particular late 19th and early 20th century painting - with the country that had welcomed them.
The Robertson Gift: Paths through Modernity is a free exhibition that showcases their gift of masterpieces by some of the major European artists of the modern era, including Pierre Bonnard, Georges Braque, Paul Cezanne, Salvador Dalí, André Derain, Henri Fantin-Latour, Paul Gauguin, Fernand Léger, Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian and Pablo Picasso.
The artworks are important because they tell the story of one of the most crucial turning points in the history of European art – the emergence of modernism. This period saw a break from the traditions of the past as artists experimented with new ways of expressing themselves, and what was happening in a world that was changing quickly.
The late Robertsons were fascinated by this period and built up a collection of modernist pieces they displayed in their apartment in the heart of New York (you can see photos of their living room as part of the exhibition) and occasionally lent to galleries. In 2006, Auckland Art Gallery organised an exhibition of 12 works from Julian and Josie’s Robertson collection. The couple was incredibly moved by the overwhelming response to the exhibition from both art aficionados and children visiting the gallery on school trips. In May 2009 they announced their intention to donate 15 masterpieces to the gallery.
The gift is unprecedented in terms of philanthropic generosity in New Zealand, and means Auckland Art Gallery is home to an international collection that is unsurpassed by any other public gallery in the country, and becomes part of a global movement sharing art and culture from across history.
The fact that many of these artists are familiar cultural icons means the exhibition will strike a chord with a wide variety of gallery visitors. It’s an ideal overview for people wanting to increase their knowledge, for those who want an up-close, real-life view of paintings by artists who literally changed the world, or for visitors to Auckland wanting to add a cultural element to a trip to the city.
As well as the 15 gifted pieces, the wider exhibition The Robertson Gift: Paths through Modernity features a wide variety of paintings, prints, drawings and sculpture, including visitor favourites from the gallery’s collection, alongside recent arrivals and loans. By the time you leave the gallery, you’ve been taken on a journey through all the major art movements of the modern era – for free and without leaving the country.
Find out more info at: www.aucklandartgallery.com/robertsongift