Rita Angus is widely regarded as one of the leading New Zealand artists of the twentieth century. Rita Angus: Life & Vision, the largest and most comprehensive exhibition dedicated to her art in more than twenty-five years, features 143 works drawn from public and private collections throughout New Zealand. This exhibition, which has been developed and presented by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, reveals the full scope of Angus's work throughout her career and the recurring themes of identity, spirituality and nature central to her art. Fresh from highly successful runs in both of its previous venues, the exhibition features a diverse range of works, including Christchurch Art Gallery's A Goddess of Mercy and the iconic Cass. In the pages that follow we present a selection of works from the collection that feature in the exhibition.

Cass was a breakthrough work for Rita Angus. Crisp, bright and rhythmic, it shows her distinctive style. Angus planned Cass very carefully. The diagonal lines of the hills, for example, contrast with the verticals and horizontals of the buildings, power poles and stacked wood in the foreground. Everything is sharp and clear, and the painting glows with colour. For Angus, Cass had a deeply personal significance. It ‘expresses joy in living here,' she wrote. Clearly a lot of people have agreed. In 2006, Cass was voted New Zealand's greatest painting in a television poll.

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