B.
History in the making
Behind the scenes
Warren Feeney has written a new book on the history of the Canterbury Society of Arts.
Published by Canterbury University Press, it was launched last week by former Robert McDougall Gallery director John Coley.
L to R: Lynn McClelland (Director of Communications and External Relations, University of Canterbury), John Coley, Warren Feeney, Rachel Scott (Canterbury University Press); photo courtesy of University of Canterbury.
Dr Warren Feeney; photograph courtesy of the University of Canterbury
The importance of the Canterbury Society of Arts to this Gallery and its historical collection can hardly be overstated. Many of our most important works came from the collection of the CSA works and were then donated to the Robert McDougall Art Gallery when it opened in 1932. To pick one at random, here is In the Wizard's Garden by George Dunlop Leslie (1835-1921), purchased by the CSA in 1907 and given to the city in 1932.
George Dunlop Leslie In the Wizard's Garden Collection Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū; Presented to the Canterbury Society of Arts by W Harris 1907 and gifted to the Gallery in 1932.
Related
Collection
George Dunlop Leslie In the Wizard’s Garden
George Dunlop Leslie’s ‘In the Wizard’s Garden’ was exhibited at the Royal Academy in London in 1904. It reflects the Victorian- and Edwardian-era taste for historical and literary themes, often interpreted as an escapist response to the uncertainties and pressures of the industrial age. The painting depicts a young medieval noblewoman seeking the guidance of a wizard to discover the secrets of the future. The theme is based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ‘Rappaccini’s Daughter’, a macabre tale set in a garden filled with poisonous plants. Leslie’s garden in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, served as the inspiration for the painting’s English setting. The painting was gifted to the Canterbury Society of Arts by Wolf Harris, a former Dunedin merchant and friend to many leading British artists.
Ship Nails and Tail Feathers, 10 June – 22 October 2023