Rita Angus exhibition opens at MTG Hawke’s Bay Tai Ahuriri on Friday 28 June 2024

Credit: Rita Angus, Cleopatra, 1938, oil on canvas. Te Papa (Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds)

Te Papa touring exhibition Rita Angus: New Zealand Modernist | He Ringatoi Hou o Aotearoa will be on display at MTG Hawke’s Bay and opens on Friday 28 June. It brings together 20 works by one of New Zealand’s most iconic 20th-century artists, Rita Angus (1908–1970).  

The exhibition runs until Sunday 25 August 2024 and entry is free. The works on display span Angus’ life and career as an artist, drawing out the themes of pacifism, feminism, and nature, which shaped much of her work.  

The exhibition includes many of Angus’ most important works, including Rutu, 1951, Cleopatra, 1938, and Central Otago, 1953 56/1969. 

“We are delighted to share the works of Rita Angus with visitors to MTG and provide the people of Hawke’s Bay the opportunity to see this incredible exhibition. This is a significant opportunity to showcase some of the work of one of New Zealand’s most important early modern artists,” says Laura Vodanovich, Director of MTG Hawke’s Bay.  

Rita Angus: New Zealand Modernist features two significant recent acquisitions made by Te Papa for the national art collection. Marjorie Marshall (1938-39/1943) is a remarkable portrait of Angus’s friend and fellow artist Marshall, set against the backdrop of Central Otago Mountains.  

The Aviatrix (1933) is one of Angus’s most important early works – a striking portrait of her sister Edna, the first woman pilot in the East Coast Aero Club, wearing her flying costume. 

Te Papa Head of Art Charlotte Davy says Rita Angus: New Zealand Modernist is an exhibition for the whole family to enjoy.

“This exhibition will introduce a new generation of New Zealanders to Rita Angus’ work,” she says. “It is remarkable how much power and relevance her paintings still have today.” 

A full catalogue, Rita Angus: New Zealand Modernist, was published to accompany the larger exhibition which ran at Te Papa from 18 December 2021 to 25 April 2022. The book is anchored by two major essays by Angus’ biographer Jill Trevelyan and Chief Curator at London’s Royal Academy of Arts, Dr Adrian Locke. 

Te Papa Press also published a new edition of Trevelyan’s award-winning book, Rita Angus: An Artist’s Life in April 2021. 

Rita Angus: NZ Modernist - 28 June – 25 August 2024

MTG Hawke’s Bay

1 Tennyson Street, Napier

Open Daily 9.30am-5pm

Public Programmes for this exhibition:

Saturday 6 July, 1pm – Rita Angus: Floor Talk with Curator Lizzie Bisley 

Sunday 14 July, 2pm – Screening of ‘Lovely Rita: A Painter’s Life’ followed by Q&A with Dame Gaylene Preston and Jill Trevelyan 

Saturday 10 August, 9:30am – ‘Inspired by Rita’ Drypoint Printmaking Workshop with Lisa Feyen

Ends