[Past exhibiton now closed]
The Power of Portraiture
26 February to 3 April 2009, Shed 11, Wellington

26 February to 3 April 2009, Shed 11, Wellington
At: Shed 11

Power of Portraiture was curated by Professor Erin Griffey.

Pictured here are:
The public viewing the images with Bishop Pompallier visible.

Former Prime Minister Jenny Shipley (in blue and white blouse) stands in front of her portrait to talk to a NZPG trustee.

An explanitory notice on the wall - with text below and a pre-opening impression of the show to come.

The text reads - 'Historically portraiture has been integral to showcasing power and power has been intrinsic to the portrait. The landmark 'Power of Portrait' exhibition interrogates this dynamic in a specifically New Zealand context. The aim is to fertilise the current renaissance of portraiture as a genre in this country, to foster critical dialogue about leadership and its representations in the visual arts and to inspire the public with the stories of its leaders and the beauty of portraiture.

The exhibition encompasses 36 portraits of major public figures, male and female, Māori and Pākehā, conservative and liberal, from a number of defferent professioanl backgronds. They all have a shared identity as leaders of this country, in a multitude of different ways: bishops and nuns, businessleaders, Prime Ministers and Governors General, University Vice-Chancellors, military generals, judges, royalty and other public figures. Every portrait will excite the opportunity for story-telling, understanding, and appreciation both historical and art historical.

THE POWER OF PORTRAITURE is stongly interdisciplinary in nature, and insists on a broad understanding of power as articulated, justified, negotiate and / or confirmed through the visual medium of the painted portrait of a leader. Viewere are invited to critically engage with the portraits themselves which are presented here in an art historical context, in a leadership context and in a Māori-cultural context.

See the map on our shed 11 page or go to this external site for a map to Shed 11