The Gallery is the proud custodian to The Chair, a painting by renowned New Zealand artist Philip Clairmont, and now the subject of a collaborative exhibition with the students of Mount Hutt College.

With its energetic, colourful and expressionist style, The Chair was the perfect artwork to highlight the many formal qualities and compositional studies which form the backbone of great works of art. The Chair, having recently undergone restoration and cleaning, is now ready to be seen by the public so that new narratives and relationships can be formed with it.

The students at Mount Hutt College were invited to take on the challenge of exploring this work, and others by Clairmont, in their pursuit to make new works in response to it. Students took part in discussions about the artist and his techniques during a class visit to the Gallery along with follow-up sessions back at school.

Occupying the main foyer wall of the Art Gallery and Heritage Centre, the new works will take centre stage for a four-month period while the original painting will be displayed in the Gallery for visitors to appreciate.
EXHIBITION AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING | 1 DECEMBER 2020 – 8 APRIL 2021