Robyn Kahukiwa

This tender portrait of three kuia in mourning is an early work by one of Aotearoa New Zealand's preeminent painters, Robyn Kahukiwa. Titled Tangi, a verb meaning 'to cry' or a noun meaning 'funeral' in te reo Māori, the painting captures an intimate moment of grief. Much of Kahukiwa's work produced during the 1970s were portraits of the people around her. While she often focused on rakatahi, this portrait is rare in its portrayal of elderly women.