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Rita Angus: An Artist's Life
Rita Angus (1908–70) was one of New Zealand’s most loved and respected artists. Landscapes and portraits such as Cass, Central Otago, and Rutu have become national icons. But until now, Angus’s life has remained a mystery. In this fascinating book, Jill Trevelyan (editor of Toss Woollaston: A Life in Letters) paints a vivid picture of Rita Angus the person – curious and forthright, staunchly pacifist and feminist, and wholly dedicated to her art. Stunning artworks, personal photographs, and insightful letters help bring Angus’s colourful and complex story to life.
- GenresArtNonfiction
420 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 28, 2011
Rita Angus An Artists Life, by Jill Trevelyan, published by Te Papa Press, 2008
This is my second visually lush review book in the past short while, and is written by the co-curator of the Rita Angus retrospective now exhibiting at the Te Papa Museum, so is necessarily a companion volume for those who are really keen on this, one of Aotearoa’s most iconic, most independent, feminist and pacifist artists.
Angus’s life astonished me, even though I thought I knew her works very well - after all, since her death in 1970, all her works, bar a very few sold during her lifetime, have been available to Galleries for showing; and I was a regular at the National Art Gallery in Buckle Street. The appearance of Douglas (Gordon) Lilburn’s private papers after his recent death have changed the popularly-accepted view of Rita, and added so much material to the biographer’s task that I wonder she didn’t falter.
So I cheekily asked Jill Trevelyan, how did she manage? The biographer’s primary task being, ‘what to leave in, what to leave out?’.
KT: How hard was it, going back to Rita Angus after already co-authoring one book* on her life and work?
JT: Not hard at all: when I did the first book I felt a sense of frustration with the limited archives available - felt I couldn't add much to the RA story. The Lilburn letters changed all that. Plus, other archives came to light too.
KT: Do you have much regard for the serendipity of finding Lilburn's papers while researching another project?
JT: Oh yes - I've always love the unexpected things that turn up in the process of doing research - even tho they can be a terrible distraction!
KT: How wonderful is it to be able to research a subject with 600 pieces of original work held at Te Papa?
JT: It was great having so many works here in Wellington. Plus the main archives were in Wellington too. I first discovered the RA collection now held at Te Papa when I was a curatorial intern at the National Art Gallery back in the late 1980s.
So I already had some familiarity with it.
KT: I've been to the exhibition twice, and am encouraging everyone I know to do the same! I can't imagine how great it must have been to view everything, then choose which works had the most significance, for exhibition.
JT: That's great! It's a big exhibition and I think it really pays to make several visits, rather than try and see everything in one hit.
Working on the bio and the exhibition has been a privilege - I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity!
I’m not going to say too much more about the life of Rita Angus, except to say that the book is well worth the 420 pages to read; take heart, much of that is stunningly well-reproduced artworks, augmented by private snapshots sourced form family and friends. If you have any interest in the Group, a Christchurch art society of the 30’s - 50’s, you also don’t want to miss reading this biography, as Jill has tracked down as many of them as are still alive, and their relatives and friends. This is a very complete work, and brings a perspective on the NZ art scene which has been in need of illumination.
I’m grateful to Jill for her generosity in our discussions over the past week, as she has had Te Papa Events** to run as well as a day-job at MFAT.
*Rita Angus: Live to Paint & Paint to Live, co-authored with Vita Cochrane, pub Godwit/Random House, 2001
**floortalks, and the first showing of Gayleen Preston’s Doco, Lovely Rita, which was in Soundings theatre 21st August - see Te Papa’s website for upcoming events related to the exhibition.
www.tepapa.govt.nz
This is my second visually lush review book in the past short while, and is written by the co-curator of the Rita Angus retrospective now exhibiting at the Te Papa Museum, so is necessarily a companion volume for those who are really keen on this, one of Aotearoa’s most iconic, most independent, feminist and pacifist artists.
Angus’s life astonished me, even though I thought I knew her works very well - after all, since her death in 1970, all her works, bar a very few sold during her lifetime, have been available to Galleries for showing; and I was a regular at the National Art Gallery in Buckle Street. The appearance of Douglas (Gordon) Lilburn’s private papers after his recent death have changed the popularly-accepted view of Rita, and added so much material to the biographer’s task that I wonder she didn’t falter.
So I cheekily asked Jill Trevelyan, how did she manage? The biographer’s primary task being, ‘what to leave in, what to leave out?’.
KT: How hard was it, going back to Rita Angus after already co-authoring one book* on her life and work?
JT: Not hard at all: when I did the first book I felt a sense of frustration with the limited archives available - felt I couldn't add much to the RA story. The Lilburn letters changed all that. Plus, other archives came to light too.
KT: Do you have much regard for the serendipity of finding Lilburn's papers while researching another project?
JT: Oh yes - I've always love the unexpected things that turn up in the process of doing research - even tho they can be a terrible distraction!
KT: How wonderful is it to be able to research a subject with 600 pieces of original work held at Te Papa?
JT: It was great having so many works here in Wellington. Plus the main archives were in Wellington too. I first discovered the RA collection now held at Te Papa when I was a curatorial intern at the National Art Gallery back in the late 1980s.
So I already had some familiarity with it.
KT: I've been to the exhibition twice, and am encouraging everyone I know to do the same! I can't imagine how great it must have been to view everything, then choose which works had the most significance, for exhibition.
JT: That's great! It's a big exhibition and I think it really pays to make several visits, rather than try and see everything in one hit.
Working on the bio and the exhibition has been a privilege - I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity!
I’m not going to say too much more about the life of Rita Angus, except to say that the book is well worth the 420 pages to read; take heart, much of that is stunningly well-reproduced artworks, augmented by private snapshots sourced form family and friends. If you have any interest in the Group, a Christchurch art society of the 30’s - 50’s, you also don’t want to miss reading this biography, as Jill has tracked down as many of them as are still alive, and their relatives and friends. This is a very complete work, and brings a perspective on the NZ art scene which has been in need of illumination.
I’m grateful to Jill for her generosity in our discussions over the past week, as she has had Te Papa Events** to run as well as a day-job at MFAT.
*Rita Angus: Live to Paint & Paint to Live, co-authored with Vita Cochrane, pub Godwit/Random House, 2001
**floortalks, and the first showing of Gayleen Preston’s Doco, Lovely Rita, which was in Soundings theatre 21st August - see Te Papa’s website for upcoming events related to the exhibition.
www.tepapa.govt.nz
May 21, 2024
Rita Angus (1908–70) Another fascinating biography of a very strong minded woman and artist.
Despite her parents trying to dissuade her from choosing to be an artist, they supported her during her whole life so she was able to concentrate on drawing and painting whenever she wished including her most famous painting: “Cass”. This enabled her to keep most of her paintings rather than sell them to make a living. She was strongly antiwar and pro women's liberation throughout her life.
Despite her parents trying to dissuade her from choosing to be an artist, they supported her during her whole life so she was able to concentrate on drawing and painting whenever she wished including her most famous painting: “Cass”. This enabled her to keep most of her paintings rather than sell them to make a living. She was strongly antiwar and pro women's liberation throughout her life.
September 8, 2022
Good for read
Want to read
June 14, 2010This biography on the twentieth century New Zealand artist is a fascinating, if dense, look into Angus's work. I bought it after seeing her solo show at Te Papa in Wellington, and I'm glad to get some exposure to an artist who's essentially unknown outside of her home country.
March 10, 2012
Great story of an eccentric artist
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews