Exhibitions
Dunedin
ROGER COLLINS
OPENING OF THE BOSSHARD GALLERIES
A start has already been made, in the pages of the Bulletin of New Zealand
Art History, on the writing of the history of the dealer galleries in
Auckland and their role in the development of modern New Zealand art. When it
comes to Dunedin's turn the future historian should dwell on the hey-day of the
Roslyn Gallery in the 'sixties, when works by Mrkusich, McCahon, Woollaston, Hos,
Keith Paterson, Drawbridge, Quentin McFarlane and others were seen there; on the
brief but brilliant career of Dawsons Gallery in the late 'sixties and early
seventies, when McCahon, Hotere, Jeffrey Harris, Michael Smither and Marte
Szirmay were frequent exhibitors; and on the Bosshard Galleries opening with a
reputation already established, after a move from Akaroa, in July 1976. The
opening exhibition, drawn from works owned personally by Patricia and Kobi
Bosshard, is for them a first meeting with the Dunedin public, a manifesto of
taste and standards, and an affirmation of commitment to contemporary New
Zealand art. The artists exhibited - they include Philip Trusttum, Ralph Hotere,
Milan Mrkusich, Jeffrey Harris, Richard Killeen and Barry Cleavin - display a
wide variety of sensibilities and artistic expression, and the individual works
are themselves of a quality which can give Dunedin viewers and collectors
confidence in the future activities of this gallery. Particular mention should
be made of the group of paintings by Trusttum, for he is an artist too little
known south of Christchurch, and hitherto inadequately represented in Dunedin
collections. The Galleries' premises are admirable for their purpose - two
rooms, one very large, one small, well-endowed with natural light through four
skylights, situated on the southern fringe of the city's central commercial
area.
CHARLTON EDGAR Paintings and Prints
Ruskin once wrote: 'The greatest thing a human being ever does in this world
is to see something and tell what it saw in a plain way.' Charlton Edgar has
certainly done this in his landscapes painted directly from nature. Although it
may be felt that he 'belongs to a period', it could be said that he is in the
mainstream of the landscape tradition and that his finest works transcend
fashion. Charlton Edgar is best known for his Central Otago paintings, and of
the works in this exhibition, spanning half a century, an early oil sketch, Lake
Hayes, is one of the best. It was painted during the Indian Summer of 1932
soon after the artist arrived in Dunedin under the la Trobe Scheme