It has been exciting times for The Suter’s collection and here we take a moment to showcase some recent developments. But first, a bit of history …

In 1884, Bishop Andrew Burn Suter, the second bishop of Nelson and for whom this gallery is dedicated, petitioned the citizens of Nelson to commission a painting to become the first work in a public collection. A subscription of one hundred pounds was raised and Nelson-based artist, John Gully (1819 – 1888) received the commission – the subject was at the artist’s discretion. The resulting painting, which had many titles including A view from near Sandy Bay, A View in Blind Bay and more recently, Western Coast of Tasman Bay, was first exhibited at the New Zealand Industrial Exhibition in 1885 where it won first prize for landscape painting in watercolours. The painting was later sent to the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London in 1886 where Gully received a commemorative medal and certificate. On its return, this painting hung in the Nelson Museum until June 1899 when the Bishop Suter Art Gallery was completed – sadly, four years after Bishop Suter’s death but with his private collection of art works as the founding donation.

This type of private benefaction has continued for more than a century and seen The Suter collection grow to 964 art works to date. This has been aided by numerous bequests and endowments, notably, the Besley (1928), Easterfield and F.J. Johns (1952), Molly Stevens (1957), Burton (1988), Cuthbertson (2002) and Gretha Appleby (2010) bequests along with the Goodman Endowment Fund (1999 – 2008) and most recently, the 10 x 10 Acquisitions Fund (2009 - ). Suter Patron, Sally Hunt, also makes an exceptional individual contribution and her support has recently enabled us to make the most significant purchase in The Suter’s history – All Along the Heaphy Highway 1998 by Bill Hammond.

While the 10 x 10 Acquisition Fund is a recent development, it is part of a long term strategy. In 2007 the collection was reviewed and a new acquisition strategy was devised. This proposed a more active and strategic approach to acquisitions with a commitment to acquire the highest standard of work. A wish list of artists and art works was drafted and targets locked in. Armed with this plan and a mission to put The Suter “on the map”, Craig Potton, photographer, publisher, conservationist and chairperson of the Bishop Suter Trust initiated a patrons group who contribute funds annually to the 10 x 10 Acquisition Fund. This fund has enabled the gallery to make regular purchases of art work by artists previously unrepresented in the collection and to acquire nationally significant art works that relate to the Nelson Tasman region. These recent purchases are presented here along with a number of works from a significant private collection, previously located in Redcliffs, Christchurch, and now on long term loan to The Suter. This includes ten works by Michael Parekowhai whose installation, Chapman’s Homer, is currently on display at the Venice Biennale.

For good measure, we have included a number of historic works from the collection. The relationships that you may detect between the new and old are not serendipitous but important considerations that we make in the collecting process. The ultimate goal is to respect and enrich the The Suter collection and to encourage excellence in the arts in the Nelson Tasman region.

Anna-Marie White
Curator