August 2026
We celebrate the force of nature that was Philippa Blair with a selection of important works from her archives. The collection includes signature works from the eighties and early nineties that were shown in America and Europe but have not been seen here in Aotearoa.
Venezia (Venice) 1988 oil on paper 740 x 1065mm
Blair made a number of trips to Italy and established close and life long friendships in Florence and Trieste, where she also exhibited in the late eighties and early nineties. Paintings like this would be worked up from photographs and memories, details would be pushed and pulled to create a montage of thoughts and feelings, but there was always a specifics to pointed out: like the sensuous curves, the pastel tones unmistakably those of ‘La Serenissima’.
Ascent/Descent 1990 charcoal on paper 1060 x 740mm
Containing all of the key motifs in Blair’s key works of the period: stairs, ladders, bridges and talking heads. This is a serious piece, full of energy and friction, yet contained and totally focused. It is a work that speaks of religion, of culture, of rising and falling. This work would stand equally beside anything produced at the time by Blair’s male contemporaries.
Guernica 1986 Lithograph. Ed.1/22 Original frame from Shippee Gallery, New York.
The work, Guernica, was produced by Blair in New Zealand but her thoughts were elsewhere. The work was inspired by the all-powerful painting by Picasso, painted in response to the bombing the Spanish town during the civil war. Blair’s is a physical expression of the artist’s rejection of all violent conflict. This specific print was exhibited (in this original frame) at the prestigious Shippee Gallery in NewYork, in 1987.
This is an evolving exhibition so only a small selection of works are featured here on the website. Please visit the gallery - or drop us a line if you would like to know/see more here