The original press release reads as follows:

THE MAKERS OF MODERN NZ 1930-1990

See the full catalogue and picture panels on Brian Easton's site.
See opening night
See some images

In an exhibition that might raise as many questions as it provides answers, Brian Easton, curator of The Makers of Modern NZ exhibition at the NZ Portrait Gallery, welcomes the element of debate that could emerge from his choice of subjects.

Dr Easton, economist, writer (author of The Nationbuilders) and social commentator, confronted the monumental task of selecting portraits of sixty New Zealanders who reflect the development of the nation from 1930-1990.

“It was important that the selection extended far beyond the capital’s base of bureaucrats, civil servants, and politicians” he said. “Given pivotal factors like the Great Depression, the post-war boom, broader opportunities for Maori and for women, the flourishing of the Pacific nations, the arts, and professional sports, along with diminished emphasis on Britain and the growth of self determination and national identity, the picture of the nation has changed hugely in the last sixty years.”

Portraits of key figures in commerce, politics, education, law, and the arts are represented. But so too are portraits of lesser known but significant people who symbolise important elements of the period, such as the increasing importance of Maori and women in our public life. “Viewed collectively and usually chronologically, the portraits tell their own story about the development of the nation over the turbulent and transformational 60 years.

“There may be many surprises about who is represented, as well as those who are not- this is not a parade of ‘celebrities’. Rather it is of New Zealanders who have made a major and long- lasting contribution to New Zealand’s development and whose contributions and achievements illustrate exceptional forces for change over the years represented in the exhibition” Easton said.

Gallery director Avenal McKinnon welcomed the inclusion of an associated small exhibition from the Paul McNamara Gallery. “Reflecting Mana”-portraits of Tainui by Alan Bekhuis is an important collection of daguerrotypes which complements the main exhibition,” she said. Intricately made on colloidal silver, with each portrait framed and lit within its own box, Alan Berkhuis is the only artist in the world known to be working in this medium. His work is being sought by the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C.

(n.b. a daguerrotype is an early photographic process produced on iodine-sensitised silver).

The Makers of Modern New Zealand 1930-1990, curated by Brian Easton

Reflecting Mana – portraits of Tainui by Alan Bekhuis/Paul McNamara Gallery

The NZ Portrait Gallery Shed 11 Wellington Waterfront

24 November 2011 – 12 Feb 2012 10.30 – 4.30 daily admission free

04 472 8874