Impressive Rita Angus exhibition to open at The Suter
/Te Papa touring exhibition Rita Angus: New Zealand Modernist | He Ringatoi Hou o Aotearoa will be on display at The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū from Saturday 8th October. This free-entry exhibition brings together 20 works by one of New Zealand’s most iconic 20th-century artists, Rita Angus (1908–1970).
The works on display span Angus’ life and career as an artist, drawing out the themes of pacifism, feminism and nature, which shaped much of her work.
The exhibition includes many of Angus’ most important works, including Rutu, 1951, Cleopatra, 1938, and Central Otago, 1953 56/1969.
The Suter will add its iconic Angus painting The Apple Pickers, 1944, an artwork that was inspired by the artist’s time working at the Riverside community near Motueka. Purchased through community fundraising, this painting epitomises seasonal orchard work in the Nelson Tasman region.
Rita Angus, The Apple Pickers, 1944, oil on canvas. Collection of The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū: purchased by public subscription in 2014.
Rita Angus: New Zealand Modernist features two significant recent acquisitions made by Te Papa for the national art collection. Marjorie Marshall (1938-39/1943) is a remarkable portrait of Angus’s friend and fellow artist Marshall, set against the backdrop of the Central Otago Mountains.
The Aviatrix (1933) is one of Angus’s most important early works – a striking portrait of her sister Edna, the first woman pilot in the East Coast Aero Club, wearing her flying costume.
Te Papa Head of Art Charlotte Davy says Rita Angus: New Zealand Modernist is an exhibition for the whole family to enjoy.
“This exhibition will introduce a new generation of New Zealanders to Rita Angus’ work,” she says. “It is remarkable how much power and relevance her paintings still have today.”
A full catalogue, Rita Angus: New Zealand Modernist, was published to accompany the larger exhibition which ran at Te Papa from December 18 2021 to 25 April 2022. The book is anchored by two major essays by Angus’ biographer Jill Trevelyan and Chief Curator at London’s Royal Academy of Arts, Dr Adrian Locke.
Te Papa Press also published a new edition of Trevelyan’s award-winning book, Rita Angus: An Artist’s Life in April 2021.
Singapore Airlines are proud to be supporting the national tour and visitors to each exhibition are invited to enter a competition to win two return air tickets to Singapore.
Rita Angus, Cleopatra, 1938, oil on canvas. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. © Reproduced courtesy of the Estate of Rita Angus. Te Papa (1998-0028-2)
