Along with his contemporaries Michael Smither and Robin White, Don Binney was part of a new generation of realist painters in New Zealand during the 1960s and 1970s. Renowned for his paintings of birds, during his teenage years he kept sketchbooks of them and they were to be a constant source of imagery for him throughout his career. While many of his birds soar through the sky, the plump pīwakawaka in Canterbury Garden Bird has settled on a branch. In 1970 Binney was invited as a guest artist to contribute works to The Group Show exhibition in Christchurch. He exhibited this painting, which was duly acquired by Muir for the Gallery’s collection. (1969 Comeback Special 27 August – 6 November 2016)