Art exhibition draws applause

Press, 3 February 1986, Page 13

Art exhibition draws applause

From

KAY FORRESTER

in Nelson The contemporary New Zealand art exhibition, resulting from “the greatest single investment in New Zealand art for purchase,” opened at the Suter Gallery in Nelson on Saturday. The first Goodman Super Biennale drew enthusiasm and applause from art circles, not so much for the works on show as for the idea behind the exhibition. Artists submitting works for the show — and there were nearly 200 — competed not for prizes but for their paintings to be bought by the exhibition organisers. Of the 62 chosen for exhibition 11 were bought for the Suter Gallery and the National Gallery in Wellington from the $30,000 in sponsorship put up by the Goodman Group. The idea of the twoyearly exhibition is to use most of the $30,000 to buy works for the Suter and one other gallery on a two-thirds to one ratio. This year $23,000 went towards purchase, $7OOO towards publicity and promotion. The idea was originally that of Mr Austin Davies, the Suter’s director. He admitted on Saturday he was a little shocked that his idea found such support. But the Goodman Group chairman, Mr Pat Goodman, said the group was only too pleased to be able to support contemporary art in New Zealand. The exhibition certainly covered the full range of artists working in New Zealand. Among the 11 purchased works are paintings, drawings, and mixed media work in sacking, paint and canvas and in paper, wood and acrylic. The artists — called selected artists rather than winners as the emphasis was away from competition — range from Nelson’s own elder statesman of contemporary painters, Sir Tosswill Woollaston, to mid-career painters to young promising artists. Christchurch was represented in the. purchased works by Graham Ben-

nett’s mixed media work and Ross Gray’s acrylic. Graham Bennett’s paper, wood and acrylic work was one of the three-dimensional works chosen. It was bought for S9OO for the Suter Gallery. Ross Gray, the head of art at Cashmere High . School, described his selection as very en- j couraging. The SBOO he , received for the painting, ; which will be added to the Suter Collection, was , welcome also. , None of the artists whose work was pur- < chased or is sold from the exhibition will pay com-

mission to the gallery. “We are doing this for the artists. Newmans delivered and will return works free and the gallery is not charging a commission,” Mr Davies said. The exhibition was officially opened by the chairman of the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council, Sir Michael Fowler, on the last day of his threeyear appointment as head of the council. The sponsorship from the Goodmans Group was the largest investment in New Zealand art for purchase, he said. In his time as chairman , the sponsorship of arts had risen to

$2.5M. The Goodman Group was a leader in corporate sponsorship of the arts. The main advantages to the exhibition’s structure were the support for visual arts and that it was not a competition, Sir Michael said. The exhibition would also allow galleries to build their collections of contemporary

New Zealand works. In future, the other participating galleries will be chosen by lot. The Robert McDougall Art Gallery, Christchurch, will be included. There are no plans to tour the first exhibition but a tour of selected works from the first two biennales may be organised in 1988.