There is something magical about the installation period for an exhibition. As Paul Alexander, the lead exhibition preparator for Shi Lu: A revolution in paint, says, it’s a lot like Christmas. Having spent hours poring over plans with thumbnail images, it’s exciting getting the works out, getting them ready, andRead more

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Shi Lu's Horses drinking at Yan River - draft 4

The horse has loomed large in China’s long and storied past. It’s not surprising then, that several pop up in the works of the master of modern Chinese painting, Shi Lu (1919-1982), in an exhibition soon to open at Te Papa, Shi Lu: A revolution in paint. Since its domesticationRead more

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This blog comes from our lovely Audience Engagement intern, Shonagh Lowerson-Head: On Sunday 2nd March, as part of our Seaweek Family Fun Day, a new sea monster was created: the Te Papa taniwha. But it’s story starts earlier than that. A week previous, the materials were gathered from Evans BayRead more

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Te Papa is saddened to hear about the death of London-based New Zealand artist Alexis Hunter on 24 February 2014. Three years after completing her studies at the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland in 1969, Hunter relocated to England and established herself in London. SheRead more

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As part of the current Nga Toi Arts Te Papa season we are fortunate enough to work alongside our curators, some of the exhibiting artists, and scholars to help produce our audience engagement programme. One initiative is to ask writers, poets, visual artists, performers and musicians to produce artistic responses to works exhibited in Nga ToiRead more

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It was one of the best days this year for me:  walking along the vast, luminous west coast beach with jeweller Alan Preston. He strolled, collecting shells with an eye on the tide and recalled Colin McCahon’s influence on his work, White Foreshore.  McCahon’s years at Muriwai are reflected in hisRead more

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Happy news for historical art lovers: Te Papa is soon to have a newly appointed Curator Historical International Art. Dr Mark Stocker is currently a lecturer at University of Otago’s Department of History and Art History, where he has been Associate Professor since 2003. He is an expert on historicalRead more

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There are a number of paintings by Frances Hodgkins (1869-1947) in the latest season of  Ngā Toi | Arts Te Papa  – Te Papa’s new, changing programme of art from the national collection and beyond. Among them are familiar favourites waiting to be revisited – including Hodgkins’ wonderful impressionistic view of a group ofRead more

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Petrus van der Velden died in Auckland one hundred years ago today, destitute and far from his native Netherlands. He had arrived in Christchurch in the summer of 1890-91, the beginning of a decade credited with changing the path of New Zealand’s painting. Already an established artist, whose work andRead more

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‘It was hands on and practical and really rather fun!’ ‘Relaxed interactive professional’  ‘I have so many ideas and am so excited’ Comments made by participants at the Experiments with Light primary teacher’s workshop at Te Papa last week. This cross-curricular workshop introduced teachers to artist Bill Culbert (currently showingRead more

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