Two new exhibitions open at Aigantighe Art Gallery this weekend.

Gathered Voices Highlights from the Fletcher Trust Collection

The Fletcher Trust Collection was founded in 1962 as the corporate art collection for Fletcher Holdings. Today, it is one of the country’s most prestigious and private art collections. Placing an emphasis on painting, it aims to celebrate the richness of Aotearoa artmaking. Works both new and old continue to be added.

Curated by Francis McWhannell, curator of the Fletcher Trust Collection and in developed in collaboration with the New Zealand Portrait Gallery.

Jock Fraser The Artist in the Tempest

South Canterbury Artist John Edward ‘Jock’ Fraser (Service Number: 11418) spent several years in prisoner of war camps across Italy and Germany during WWII. Art provided a way for Fraser to focus on something beyond the cold, hunger, and lice in his clothing – painting and drawing elevated everyday objects into something beautiful and momentarily offered a reprieve from the war. The Aigantighe Art Gallery is privileged to hold more than a hundred paintings and drawings by Jock Fraser in its permanent collection. These artworks have been generously donated by the Fraser family and offer a fascinating perspective on WWII. While the New Zealand Government appointed several official war artists, who documented events and recorded how the war was shaped New Zealanders lives, Fraser’s sketches and paintings offer a profoundly personal insight into his individual wartime experience.

Aigantighe is open Tuesday – Friday10am – 4pm, Saturday – Sunday12pm – 4pm and closed on Monday.