Senior history curator Claire Regnault pays tribute to New Zealand costumier and ‘Master of the Wardrobe’ at the Royal New Zealand Ballet, Andrew Pfeiffer.Read more
We are saddened to hear of the recent death of Auckland artist Paul Cullen (1949-2017). He was a constantly intelligent presence in the contemporary art scene for over 40 years, and his final illness only served to catalyse his productivity to the very end. Poignantly, his exhibition Provisional Arrangements at Two Rooms,Read more
It is with sadness that we at Te Papa learned photographer Marti Friedlander passed away in Auckland on Monday 15 November. Marti was born in London of Jewish parents and emigrated to New Zealand with her Kiwi husband Gerrard in 1958. She was shocked by how conservative New Zealand wasRead more
He poukaiāwhā nō te pātaka iringa kōrero, kua hinga. He ahorangi nō te whare wānanga o te ao hou, kua okioki. He ringa i mau ki te rākau ā te Pākehā hei taokupu titi rawa ki te manawa o te tangata tiriti, kua takoto. E te uri o Muriwai, oRead more
We were deeply saddened to hear of the death of Melvin (Pat) Day on 17 January. Pat was a well-known Wellington artist who was at the forefront of developments in abstraction and cubism during the 1940s and 1950s. Most importantly for Te Papa, he was also the director of the NationalRead more
E te rangatira, e te totara haemata, e te pou matua i whakapau kaha ki te tiaki i nga mahi toi me nga whare pupuri taonga o Aotearoa, haere, haere, haere atu ra. Kua ripia kua haehaea mai te tau o te ate i te mamae, i te paapouri oRead more
It is with sadness that we farewell the distinguished architect Ivan Mercep who died this week. As part of the original Jasmax concept group, he contributed extensively to the design of Te Papa that opened on Wellington’s waterfront in 1998. The new building, a major construction project, was to houseRead more
Tony Whitaker (or ‘Whit’ to his many friends) was the godfather of modern herpetology in New Zealand. Following more than half a century of fieldwork to the remotest corners of New Zealand, there were few lizard species that he had not seen, nor lizard researchers that he had not cheerfullyRead more
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
We were all saddened by the recent passing of Auckland and Samoan rugby stalwart Peter Fatialofa (1959-2013). In the last few weeks, much has been written about his wonderful personality and character, his leadership on and off the rugby field and his rich contribution to Samoan and New Zealand rugby.Read more
We would like to pay a special tribute to Samoan artist Joseph Churchward who sadly passed away last weekend. We were privileged to have worked with Joseph in 2008, when my colleague Sean Mallon (Senior Curator Pacific Cultures) and I curated the exhibition Letter Man: Joseph Churchward’s world of type (2008). I recallRead more
Te Papa is deeply saddened by the death yesterday of Ralph Hotere – one of the country’s greatest artists. Our thoughts go out to his family, his friends, and the arts community. Ralph once commented that ‘There are few things I can say about my work that are better thanRead more
It is with great sadness that we share the news that our respected colleague and dear friend William McAloon passed away on Sunday 8 April. William has been Curator Historical New Zealand Art at Te Papa since 2005. A key member of the art team, William was a superb curator,Read more
Sir Paul Callaghan 1947–2012 GNZM, FRS, FRSNZ Kua waipuketia te awa o Whanganui. Kua mahue pani te motu i te hinganga o tēnei tōtara haemata e te ringa kaha o aituā. Moe mai rā e te mata punenga. Nāu, nā te ihu atamai, nā te kanohi hōmiromiro te pūtaiao iRead more
The Art team here at Te Papa are saddened by the news that contemporary New Zealand artist Don Driver passed away yesterday morning in New Plymouth. Although Don had been ill for some time, this sort of news always catches you off guard. Te Papa has a considerable number ofRead more
