Olivia Spencer Bower

England / Aotearoa New Zealand, b.1905, d.1982

Towards the Museum

In the area just to the north west of Christchurch Cathedral, but taking a high view, this scene looks west towards the Canterbury Museum and the Botanic Gardens in Hagley park, with the Southern Alps in the far distance. By the 1960s Olivia Spencer Bower was firmly established as a significant Canterbury artist. Her broad brushwork creates a vibrant and lively scene and she has freely used washes of colour, showing her sure ability and control with the watercolour medium. Born in England, Spencer Bower was the twin daughter of the New Zealand artist Rosa Spencer Bower (née Dixon). The family came to New Zealand in 1919. Spencer Bower studied at the Canterbury College School of Art before going to the Slade School of Art in London in 1929. She returned to New Zealand in 1931. She devoted her life to painting and, late in her life, established a Foundation which finances an annual scholarship enabling an artist to work fulltime for one year.

Exhibition History