Just over a year ago at Government House Wellington, Dame Patsy opened the McCahon Centenary celebrations, and tonight Government House Auckland hosted a reception to bring it to a close.
The McCahon Centenary has celebrated the works of Colin McCahon, and the legacy he has had on New Zealand art and culture.
One of our most prominent artists, he began his 45 year career as a painter in the 1930s. He spent his early years in Dunedin, Nelson and Christchurch before moving to Auckland in the early 1950s. He is most known for painting abstract landscapes and works of painted text.
The evening also featured a presentation from Hideaki Fukutake about the regeneration of a community through art, architecture and nature. Together with his father, Mr Fukutake operates the Benesse Art Site Naoshima in Japan. This comprises of three main islands that were previously polluted with from industrial waste and have been re-established as havens for art and architecture. Community buildings on the islands operate like museum galleries as its residents live alongside living art spaces.
